The Legend of Zelda: Palace of Hope
by WyldColt45
Summary: A guy with nothing to lose finds himself trapped in Hyrule, and struggles to adjust. Chapter 19 Link Returns
1. Exes and D'ohs

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that isn't mine, or anything you can sue me over. Colt is my character, so hands off, unless you ask, first. That's all. And NOW, the moment you've all been waiting for... OK, maybe not, but... My Story  
  
  
  
Chapter 1: Exes and D'ohs  
  
It was raining. Damn. I hate rain, it's so depressing. Not that I wasn't already. But the rain didn't help. I mean, WHEN does it EVER rain in California? I wanted to go home and go to bed. Already this was turning out to be a stellar day. I pulled into the parking lot... OK, so I lied... I don't actually HAVE a car. Hell, I don't actually have a LICENSE yet, but that's another story. I WALKED into the Starbucks parking lot, and sighed. The line wasn't quite out the door, but it was damn close. I shouldered my backpack and pushed my way through the line over to the counter. Several customers grunted, but I ignored them.  
  
"Colt!" The cheery, accented voice of my manager, Cheryl greeted me. "You're wet."  
  
I bit back a sarcastic remark. It isn't good to anger your boss. "Hey, Cheryl... I'm just here for my paycheck, and I'll be out of your hair. I don't work today, so I'll try NOT to hang around TOO much." I forced a smile I didn't feel, and shrugged.  
  
"Come back, Colt. You can sign for it." She turned back to the customer she was assisting with the pointless endeavor of self- caffeination. Ah... Stimulants. God's gift to the working class. I rolled my eyes, and walked into the back room. Amy was there, and she caught the look on my face.  
  
"He broke up with you." I didn't bother to nod. There was no point, she knew already. "Fucking prick. I'll have Chris..."  
  
"No. Don't. It's OK." She looked at me for a second, and nodded. "Can I just get my check?"  
  
"Yeah." The paycheck envelope hadn't been open yet, so it took me a second to pull the taps off. I searched through the stack and found my own, at the back, as usual. Sometimes I wished I had a normal last name. But NO. My mother had to be creative. No last name. Just Colt. I still have the emotional scars from my elementary school career. Children are so cruel. "Thanks, Aim... I'll see ya t'morrow. I'm closing again."  
  
She just nodded, wary of my mood. I shrugged, and walked out into the lobby. The line had died down, so I leaned over the counter. There was a guy manning the bar I had never seen before. He was kinda cute, too. Shit. Three hours free of the ball and chain and already I'm moving in for the kill.  
  
I smiled at him. He nodded, curtly, and went back to making some god- awful concoction that some yuppie had ordered minutes before. He turned, and I noticed something written on his hand. Leaning in for a closer look revealed that it was the name of a psalm. Uh oh. "Cheaper than paper, I guess." He turned, and gave me a look. Gods help me, it was endearing, seeing him look so clueless. "Your hand? You wrote on it. What's it say?" I tried to look innocent. I really did. I just kept thinking ~Geez, Colt. Give the boy some room to breath.~  
  
"It's a psalm." He grinned at me, and proceeded to QUOTE the thing, word for word. Shit. Religious boy. Not that I have anything against religion, of course... I just find that religious folk tend to be the ones who get off on informing me that "God has set aside a special torment for guys like me". Great. And YES, I am a guy. C'mon, people. Who in their right mind would name a girl after a male horse? Come to think of it... who in their right mind would name a BOY after a male horse? OK, so I'm not named after a horse. I'm named after "Samuel Colt." At least that's what my mom says. She won't tell me who he was, though. I keep meaning to look it up... Yeah, right... Like I keep meaning to go to school.  
  
"I'm Colt." I stuck out my hand, real manlike. He looked at me, eyes blank for a moment, then shook it.  
  
"Bryant. Nice to meet you." He nodded again, then, having finished with me, continued to make drinks.  
  
"Right. Nice talkin to ya." I turned, and, pushing my way through the throng of zombies, went back into the rain. Safe under the overhang, I finally managed to look at my check. "$150?? FUCK!" I sighed, but stuck the already crumpled check in my back pocket. What could I say? I hadn't worked much the last few weeks. I swear they hate me there.  
  
My bank is a few blocks away, so I walked. I walk everywhere. Either that, or I don't go. Fortunately for me, I work in a relatively convenient place, so that everything I need is almost always in reach. Of course, I LIVE a half hour away, but that's another story. Of course, the problem with having everything wrapped up in a nice little ball is... Right next to my bank is a Fry's. Um... So I have a little problem keeping money for more than five minutes. Is that MY fault? Still wet, I made my way into the vast electronic store, and shivered. It had a theme, like most Fry's, but this one was "Alice in Wonderland." It had never really occurred to me before how unsettling the sentiment behind "Alice in Wonderland" was. For the first time, it struck me how terrifying it should have been for the poor girl, had she actually sat down to think about it. I shook off the thought, tossed my backpack to the guy who had been standing, staring expectantly behind the counter, and walked into the store proper.  
  
I could probably spend half a day exploring the store, but I'm usually only interested in the video game and computer section. So, I headed over there, right off the bat. I like looking at all the things I could buy. I had a crisp fifty dollar bill burning a hole in my pocket (I'm not TOTALLY clueless). My usual gig was to browse until I found something that didn't TOTALLY offend my sensibility, but today was different. I walked into the small, walled-off area that marked the video game section, and my eyes were immediately drawn to the small display set up in a corner. "The BEST Zelda game EVER" the sign proclaimed. I shivered. So, I'm a Zelda fan. My heart sank, though, as I walked to the table. It was empty. D'oh. Dejected, and defeated, I turned to find something else that "spoke" to me. And then I saw it. It was peering out from under the tablecloth. The corner of something. I bent down, and yelled triumphantly! It was the LAST copy of the "Best" Zelda! I practically flew to the counter, and deposited my new acquisition on the table.  
  
The guy behind the counter looked at me strangely, but he scanned the game and asked softly for forty-seven dollars and eighty six cents. I laughed, and slapped the fifty down on the surface, making him, and several of his coworkers jump. I smiled sheepishly. "Sorry" He handed me my purchase, and told me to make sure I showed the man at the exit my receipt.  
  
I dashed out the door, grabbing my backpack and flashing my receipt as an afterthought. The man nodded, and I was off, running to catch the bus. It was Friday, fortunately, which meant that the bus ran the extended route, and picked up around the corner. It was just arriving when I got there. Am I good or what?  
  
On the bus, I finally had a chance to study the game. It was for GameCube, which was fine, since my little brother had gotten one about a month before. We were in business. I read the cover. "The Legend of Zelda: Palace of Hope." The back proclaimed "A new evil emerges. Will Link and his new friend be able to stop it?" I scanned the screen shots that graced the back, hoping to catch a glimpse of the "new friend" the back spoke of, but I saw nothing but shots of Hyrule Castle, and what was probably the Palace of Hope. I settled back into the chair. What I loved about video games is, you MATTER there. People affect others. ~If I disappeared tonight,~ I mused, ~would anyone even notice?~ I shrugged to myself. It didn't matter, anyway. I would be playing my new game soon. I predicted a long night. My pleasure at my discovery had overshadowed my depression. For now. Outside, the thunder rolled. 


	2. Poor Poor Pitiful Me

Disclaimer: I'm not stupid enough to think that these would save my but if someone decided I was out of line, but it makes for a good security blanket, doesn't it? I don't own any character but my muse, Colt, and anyone else I make up because I can. Any resemblance to persons living, dead, or imaginary is probably intentional, and that's just too bad, isn't it? The song "Poor Poor Pitiful Me" is the sole property of Linda Ronstadt, or maybe Terri Clark. I dunno. I don't care. Isn't apathy great?  
  
Warning: This chapter contains allusions to child abuse.  
  
Chapter 2: Poor Poor Pitiful Me  
  
No one was home. For some reason, that didn't surprise me, being it was only 3:30 or so. I rummaged through my bag to find my keys for a few minutes, before remembering I had left them on my desk this morning. Glancing around to make sure the coast was clear (True, it IS my house, but I wasn't up to explaining that to the police) I deftly scrambled up the side fence and onto the roof. The window that led to my brother's room was never locked, perhaps foolishly so. It occurred to me again that it would be so much easier if I got an extra key and left it under a rock somewhere, but... oh, well.  
  
I slid through the window with the skill of years of practice. It suited me that no one was home. I could play in peace.  
  
I was trying to keep a positive outlook, trying not to think about it, but the events of the morning had left a dull ache in my stomach. I was alone again. He hadn't even apologized. Hadn't shed a single tear. He had made it seem like it was all my fault. My fault, because I hadn't paid him enough attention. Never mind that my entire last year had been CENTERED around him. It was my fault he cheated. He was the martyr here. I was scum. Right. I had figured out long ago that everyone had one single person who was the most important thing in their world. He had been mine, and I thought I had been his. I guess I'll always be stuck playing second fiddle. Suddenly Zelda had lost it's attraction. Who can play video games when you're all alone in the world? Everyone I knew had someone that was more important than me. My mom had her boyfriend. My elder brother had his girlfriend, April. I had no one. I've never had anyone.  
  
I choked back a sob. That wasn't entirely true. I HAD someone. Lance. My brother. My twin. The other half of my soul. But he was gone, now. He had fallen prey to the senseless violence that had dominated ten years of our lives. He died to protect me from my stepfather's rage. He had always protected me. But with his death, he had unwittingly signed my death warrant. In his wake, I tried to live my life, incomplete and alone. I suppose that was what had attracted me to Alex. He reminded me of Lance. People always assumed we were brothers.  
  
And for a while, it was OK. I could ignore the emptiness that threatened my sanity and my soul. I could hold the darkness at bay. But Alex was not Lance, no matter how I tried to convince myself. There was a hole in me that would never be filled, and Alex was tired of trying. Or so he said.  
  
I shook my head, trying to clear it, but it was too late. I had spent two years NOT thinking about it, and now, the dam had burst, and nothing could stop the flow and ebb of painful memories.  
  
The night when Lance snuck in a cake on our birthday, after the tyrant had ruined the celebration that morning by getting drunk and shouting obscenities at the neighbors.  
  
How he never left my side those nights at the hospital, when the old man lost at poker.  
  
How he lied to my teachers about my bruises.  
  
The time he distracted my stepfather so that I could change out of my dirty clothes, after a day at the beach I wasn't supposed to have.  
  
How he stood up to the old man when he decided that a bat might vent his frustrations.  
  
He gave his life for me. Did he know I wasn't worth it? I knew if he knew what I contemplated now, he would have given me that look, and a lecture, and everything would have been better. But he wasn't here now, and it was my fault. Two years of bottled pain and rage were bubbling to the surface. It wasn't about Alex anymore. It had NEVER been about Alex. It was always about Lance.  
  
Someone next door cackled, and a radio blared.  
  
"Gonna lay my head on the railroad tracks,  
  
Waiting on the Double E.  
  
But the train don't run through here no more  
  
Poor poor pitiful--"  
  
I shut the window. I knew what had to happen. I had to make amends. Lance had given his life, a life so full of promise, so that I might live. And for what? I was nothing. I was an empty shell, a husk of who I was. So, it comes to this. I had to do it, and I would. I had decided. The pain had to end. Now. 


	3. Crimson Drops of Rain

Disclaimer: If you're still reading these disclaimer things, maybe you ought to find a hobby. I don't own anything except what's mine, and anything that you can sue me over is here because someone else put it there. I'm sure the title isn't original, because it sounds too cool to be. If you've used it before, so sorry, I didn't steal it, I made it up. GTMA and all that crap.  
  
Warning: For those of you that haven't read the last chapter... YES, he IS killing himself. Please note that the feelings reflected on in this fiction in no way reflect the true feelings of the wonderful and creative author, who is, while single, actually rather content at the moment. Also note that while Colt is modeled after me slightly, he is NOT me, and nothing related in this story has ever occurred to me or anyone I know. Furthermore, if you're still reading this, I heartily recommend therapy. Have a nice day.  
  
Chapter 3: Crimson Drops of Rain  
  
Four o'clock. Perfect. Zeke wouldn't be home for another hour or two, and he wouldn't think to check the bathroom for at least a half an hour. I tried to think rationally, sorting out what should be done before I freed myself, but between the growing ache in my chest and the pounding of my heart, I having difficulty concentrating.  
  
A note. I would have to write a note. Oh. Wait. Before the note, I would have to call work. Call in sick, cause there was no way I was going to work tomorrow. Gritting my teeth with a resolve I hadn't felt since the 911 call that put Dan in jail, I dialed the number I had scrawled in my address book. It rang three times before someone picked up.  
  
"Thanks for calling Starbucks, this is Bryant. What can I do for you?"  
  
"Bryant? It's Colt. I was calling to let you know that I won't be able to come in tomorrow. I'll be... indisposed." I was dropping hints. I guess I wanted him to stop me. To tell me that everything was going to be OK. Someone HAD to understand.  
  
"I'll tell Cheryl for you, bro. D'ya need me to cover it for ya?" He wasn't biting.  
  
"Yeah. In fact, you can take the rest of my shifts for next week too. I won't be using them."  
  
"Awesome, bro.! Thanks!" Shit. He wasn't asking questions. So much for my last cry for help, huh?  
  
"Yeah, whatever." I was trying not to cry, and I think he noticed. Even HE couldn't be that dense.  
  
"Are you OK, Colt?" Ah! Concern! Now, all I had to do was say no, tell him I was thinking of ending it. Come on, Colt. Save yourself. Please.  
  
"Everything's fine." I was openly crying now. The tears ran down, leaving trails in the dirt that covered my cheeks. "Everything's just peachy."  
  
God, I missed Lance. And maybe Alex, too. I had done such a good job of pretending everything was fine, that my life hadn't ended two years ago, that I began to believe it. It hurt to see how weak I really was. It hurt, and it made me angry. ~How could he leave me? How could he desert me like that?~ I didn't know if I meant Alex, or Lance, and it didn't matter. I couldn't stop sobbing. ~I wonder what Bryant must think over there,~ I thought randomly.  
  
"Colt? Are you still there?" He was truly concerned now, I think. I don't know.  
  
"I wish it had been different. I wish it had been me. I'm nothing without him, nothing."  
  
"Cheryl? Colt's freaking out on the phone!" Bryant shouted. I ignored him.  
  
"I should have been the one who died that night. I was the one who had smashed the guitar." Dan's guitar. His life. God, had it really been two years? "He was the better of us." I was blubbering now. The guilt washed over me, tears, anger, and hatred mixing themselves in my chest.  
  
"Colt. Where are you?" It was Amy. "Are you home? Stay there. Don't move, OK? Bryant, keep talking to him."  
  
"Hey, Colt. Tell you a story?" Grasping at straws.  
  
"It's time. Tell someone you love them, Bryant. Tell them." I slowly lowered the receiver to the cradle, cutting off his last shouted "Colt". I had to hurry. No time for a well written note. It was ironic, I had gotten the attention I wanted, and now I was fleeing it. My resolve had won out after all, I guess. Or had I just wanted the challenge of it? I scrawled a note on a legal pad and left it on my mom's bed: Mom- Went to live with Lance. See you in forty years or so. Love Colt. I sighed. It wasn't Shakespeare, but it would have to do. Grabbing the largest kitchen knife I could find, I dashed to the bathroom, and started the water. Hot water. I had heard that the pain is dulled by hot water.  
  
I stripped, and sank into the tub, ignoring the protest my skin illicite. I looked at the gleaming knife in my hands, then at my wrists. ~Down, not across.~ a voice in my head informed me. ~You get more veins that way.~ Numbly, I pressed the knife against my flesh, and, squeezing my eyes against the pain, sliced. The pain that lanced across my arm wasn't as bad as I expected.  
  
I listened. Silence. Nothing but the beating of my own heart. It wasn't pounding anymore. I knew I had done the right thing. I had rectified the mistake Lance made. I was going home. The other wrist was easier. I sank back in the tub, and watched the blood well up. I had the knife in my hands, in case I needed to make another cut.  
  
I don't know how much time passed. It may have been an hour, it may have been five minutes. Eventually the water was overflowing from the tub, and I began to fade.  
  
Dimly, as if from afar, I heard a thud, and Amy was there, holding my naked form in her arms. The blood stained water splashed her jeans and stained her blouse, but she ignored it. "Colt, oh, Colt, you idiot. What did you do? Why?" I looked at her, into her burning blue eyes. ~Contacts. She wears contacts~ I fought to return. To tell her it was OK, that everything would be alright now. But consciousness eluded my grasp, and I faded into the darkness. And then, nothing. 


	4. Not in Kansas Anymore

Disclaimers: Been there, done that. If you still aren't aware of the fact that I don't own anything mentioned that you've HEARD of before, I suggest therapy. Lots and lots of therapy.  
  
Note: Terribly sorry if you feel that my portrayals of the characters are off... These are my interpretations of what I think they would REALLY act like, if they were actually people, instead of sprites on a TV screen.  
  
Chapter 4  
  
Not in Kansas Anymore  
  
"If your father knew about this latest little bird of yours, Princess..."  
  
A voice pierced the darkness that held me in its grasp.  
  
"You will not TELL him, dear Impa? I beg of you!"  
  
"Princess, you know not if this child bears ill wishes to the crown." I struggled upward, clawing at the black void. Was I dead, then? I reflected vaguely that the sadness that had gripped my mind and heart had faded, and I felt oddly purified. ~I wonder if this is heaven?~  
  
"Look, Impa! He awakens!" The voice that spoke was soft, gentle, and regal. What happened? I opened my eyes, and found myself staring into the eyes of a girl of about twenty or so. I gasped softly. She looked oddly familiar, but... no, that was impossible. I must've hit my head, or something. "Sirrah, I know not where you hail from, but your garb is unlike any I have ever seen."  
  
"Your Highness, allow the boy a moment to regain his senses!" My attention was drawn to the strangely dressed woman in the corner. I assumed it was Impa. A freakish coincidence, I'm sure.  
  
"I'm in heaven?" There was a dull pain behind my eyes. Well, at least I knew it wasn't a dream.  
  
"Heaven?" The blond girl laughed. "Nay, you are in the Kingdom of Hyrule!" And I did what any self-respecting sane person would do. I laughed. The girl... Princess Zelda, from the looks of her, widened her eyes and stepped back.  
  
"Did Amy put you up to this?" I was rationalizing. Not a good sign.  
  
"Amy? I know no such person." A beat. "Mayhap you hit your head?" Sure. I hit my head, and I'm hallucinating. I tried to remember what had happened, but I could remember only feverish bits of scattered dreams. I had killed myself, but now... I glanced at my wrists. Faded scars ran down either side, but they were old, at least a year. 'Zelda' must have caught my scrutiny of my battle wounds because she grinned. "I did heal you, good sir. It is a talent those of royal blood have long possessed. I am Zelda, Princess of Hyrule, and this is my nurse and companion, Impa of the Sheikah. And now, if I may, might I inquire as to your name?"  
  
"Colt... My name is Colt." I winced. I felt naked without a title of some sort. So, I made one up. What harm could it do to play along with the little game until I could blow the lid off, after all? "Colt of the Clan Scorpia." I grinned at my own cleverness. I bared my left shoulder, displaying a small tattoo of a scorpion. I had gotten it one night on a dare. Lance had an exact replica on his right shoulder. I winced. He HAD had an exact replica. I had to stop thinking of him in present tense, unless I wanted to dance with another knife. But the Princess paid no attention to my pause.  
  
"The Clan Scorpia? I have not heard of such a clan. Are you from Holdrum?" Holdrum? I almost let out another fit of laughter. These guys were good. But it was getting old.  
  
"No," I corrected. "I'm from California. And if you'll excuse me, I've got to many things to do to hang with the rejects from the Final Fantasy movie." I climbed out of the bed I had been sitting in, to discover that I was fully dressed. I was wearing a faded pair of jeans and an orange T-shirt. Someone had dressed me in my own clothing. I suddenly wondered how long I'd been out of commission. The scars led me to believe I had been in a coma. But if that was the case, how long had the actors been waiting? Kind of elaborate for a joke. Unless... No. I ran to the window. I was in a real castle. ~Ireland~ I thought. ~There are plenty of castles in Ireland.~  
  
"Are you ill, Sir Colt of Clan Scorpia?" Zelda had come up behind me. "Mayhap you should rest, until you have fully regained your strength." My strength? "I have had dreams of the scorpion clad warrior coming to our aid in this time of peril." Okay, we've now CROSSED the threshold of weirdness. Me and my big mouth. Had to have a title, didn't ya? Well, you've gonna get it now.  
  
"I think you have the wrong guy. I'm not any 'Scorpion Clad Whatever' and I'm not a warrior... I'm spineless and pathetic." My stomach turned at that one, but it was true.  
  
"I am sure you are the one, Sir Colt of Clan Scorpia. You have the marking! You say you are weak, and yet I did heal battle wounds..." I didn't bother to tell her that I had made those "battle" wounds. She seemed so... serious. Like she actually believed in what she was saying.  
  
"Your Highness..." Impa spoke softly. I had almost forgotten she was there. "His Majesty approaches your bedchambers. I suggest Sir Colt should make haste and depart."  
  
"Depart? Where am I supposed to go? If this IS Hyrule, I don't know my way..." Wait. Yes, I do. All those years of playing stupid video games were FINALLY paying off. Who says gaming doesn't improve your brain.  
  
"Go to Kakariko Village. The Sheikah reside there, and will surely give you shelter while her royal highness and I discover what must be done to thwart the terror growing in the north." She handed me an envelope. "Take this letter to the gatekeeper of the village and he shall allow you entry. And, take this sword, to defend you from the monsters that grow restless outside the city walls." She handed me something that was either a short sword, or a big dagger. Either way, I didn't know how to use it. Then, she did something that surprised me. She handed me my backpack. "This we found lying next to you. I believe it will help you on your journey. Go now, Sir Colt, and God-speed!" With that, she pushed me out the window.  
  
The fall wasn't as far as it looked, and the only real wound was to my pride and my sanity. But at this point, there wasn't much I could do. So, I started off in the direction of Kakariko Village. 


	5. Lions and Tigers and Heroes, Oh My!

Disclaimer: This isn't really a disclaimer. This is the part of the story where I make fun of all the people that actually sit there and READ these things. Yeah, I mean YOU! Don't you have anything better to be doing? Like REVIEWING my story? Or not.  
  
Chapter 5: Lions and Tigers and Heroes, Oh My!  
  
The sun was setting by the time I managed to reach Kakariko Village. I was tired, and cold, and I wanted to go home. The sword sheath was digging into my side uncomfortably, and my vision was blurring. In the dim light, the village steps were dark and foreboding, and I couldn't see what was at the top. Wonderful. I slumped down by the a nearby tree, my backpack and sword by my side. I gingerly brushed my hand against the bruise that was forming where the sheath had slapped against my hip as I walked. How medieval knights managed to walk without falling on their asses was beyond me. The damn thing, aside from playing bass drum on my side, was constantly getting caught between my legs. Maybe if I rigged it so it went across my back instead of at my side, I would be more comfortable. After all, this was HYRULE and that was how Link did it.  
  
I blinked. I was certainly taking this well. If, in fact, this IS Hyrule, which it's not, then shouldn't I be terrified and homesick? And what about the creatures that Impa had warned me about? Hyrule, which wasn't here, was CRAWLING with monsters. What if I never got home? What if I never saw Amy, or my mother, Hell, even Cheryl again? ~If this isn't Hyrule,~ a voice in my head intoned, ~then how did you know exactly where Kakariko Village was?~  
  
In the distance, something howled at the moon. I shuddered in the cold, and scrambled to my feet. Maybe this wasn't the best place to take a nap. I practically bounded up the stairs, not even bothering to reattach the sword.  
  
I reached the top of the steps in record time, and stopped to catch my breath. Then I laughed. I was taking it for granted that any beastly thing that was out tonight would be unable to enter the town, simply because that was the way it was in the games. Well... Except for Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, I guess, since Aghanim's soldiers were perfectly capable of coming after me in that game's version of Kakariko Village. That version? If THIS was Hyrule, WHICH Hyrule was it? I didn't remember an Impa in Link to the Past, and in Link's Adventure, the towns had the same name as the characters of Ocarina of Time! In fact, in the original Hyrule... there WERE no towns, only caves with strange old men and women who looked remarkably similar.  
  
~Get a grip, Colt... It doesn't matter which game this is, cause it's NOT a game... It's IRELAND, remember?~ But even as I mentally scolded myself, I knew I was beating a dead horse. I was fooling myself if I thought that I was anywhere NEAR the world I had come from, and I knew it. After all, hadn't Zelda said...  
  
My inner monologue was abruptly interrupted when a blur of green smashed into me, nearly sending me back down the flight of steps I had just fled up. When the stars cleared, I looked up to see a tall man of about twenty. I gasped. The floppy hat, the tunic... It couldn't be... but... Link!  
  
Shakily, I stood. My heart was pounding. I was face to face with the legendary Hero of Time! Even my MOTHER knew who Link was. True, that was because Zeke and I would argue about the true timeline of the Zelda series for hours. I stood for a minute, trying to remember how my vocal cords worked. "H...h...hi!" Great start, Colt... real suave-like. He just nodded.  
  
I was trying not to stare, but I couldn't help notice that something was odd about him. Then, it hit me.  
  
He had cut his hair. Chopped it off. I can't say I minded, having never been a fan of long hair, except... This was LINK! Long hair was his trademark! ~Of Course,~ I mentally informed myself, ~he's a hell of a lot cuter than in the pictures.~ I shook the thought away. I refused to do that to myself. "Sorry about ... Uh... being in your way, when you're off to... Uh... save... I mean... in such a hurry." He just shrugged. "I'm Colt." I stuck out my hand, and my sleeve slid back, baring that damn tattoo. "Of the Clan Scorpia." I added resignedly. "The Princess sent me?"  
  
His expression didn't change. Did he not know what Princess I was referring to? "Princess ZELDA?" I prompted. Nothing. No recognition, no smile, no 'oh, HER'... just that blank look of mild disinterest. "Forget it. Can you tell me of a good place to stay the night? I'm kind of tired, and a little hungry too." He nodded, and motioned for me to follow. I shrugged, and followed behind him, trying to clear my head.  
  
He hadn't said a word to me... Did he not talk? Is that why he never said anything in the games? I'd always figured it was just a method of getting the player to imagine what the character under his (or her, I amended, aware that female gamers were people too) control had said, so as to add to the intimacy between the two. I guess that wasn't the case. And he hadn't recognized the name Zelda. Had they not met yet? No, impossible, he was DEFINITELY in his twenties, and that meant that he had met Zelda about thirteen years ago.  
  
Unless he didn't remember? Damn, I was so confused.  
  
We came to a small house, and Link motioned me inside. I nodded and thanked him with a nod of my head, expecting him to go back to whatever it was that had caused him to smash into me in the first place. He didn't. He followed me inside.  
  
We were at an inn, I guess. The room we entered was almost empty, except for a few drunks sprawled out on the floor. A small, fat man scuttled over to us. "Ah, good sirs! Come to stay the night have we?" I guess Link nodded, because the fat man kept talking. "Will that be one room or two for you, sirs?" Link and I looked at each other, it occurred to me I had no money. I looked at the floor, then whispered "I'm broke." He held up one finger. I shot him a quizzical look, and he patted his coin pouch. Oh, duh. I felt stupid. One room was cheaper than two, and since I was broke, he was covering the cost for me. How sweet.  
  
"Good good good!" I could almost taste his disappointment. His cheerful manner slipped, and his smile faltered, but his eyes were on my sword. "Will that be one bed or two?" He winked at Link, nodding in my direction.  
  
"Two!" I almost shouted, and one of the drunks stirred, opening his eyes blearily. "Sorry." I smiled sheepishly.  
  
"Two it is. Come this way, sirs. You may leave your baggage in your room and return to the common room for a meal, if it pleases you. Your things will be quite safe, I assure you." He smiled at me, displaying teeth that probably had never seen a toothbrush.  
  
I nodded. Then, remembering that I had wanted to clean off a little, I stopped. "What about a bath?"  
  
"I'll have the bar wench draw one at your convenience, sir. Now, right this way." With a speed that belied his girth, he strode through a door, and down a hallway. "Here we are." He handed Link a key. "That will be thirty rupees." Link counted out the cash quickly, and handed it to the man.  
  
"I'll take the bath now, if you don't mind." I was beginning to feel like I was being ignored. Link nodded. He wanted to clean up too, I guess.  
  
"Very well. Someone will be with you shortly." He turned, and made his way back down the hall.  
  
"Thank you." I said, lamely, after we had set our stuff down. Why was he helping me? He didn't know who or what I was. I could try to kill him in his sleep. Did he even sleep? "You know, I don't even know your name."  
  
He made a face, and sighed. "What do you expect me to call you, then? Hey you?" He glared at me. "Please?" I knew I was pushing it... But I figured if he couldn't speak, he'd write it down. It wouldn't do for me to call him Link without him TELLING me that was his name. It would be too stalkerish.  
  
"L-l-li-link." Shit. No WONDER he hadn't said anything to me... He stuttered.  
  
"Oh, Link... I'm sorry. I didn't know." He just shrugged. I was ashamed of myself. I had pressed him about his name, knowing that he couldn't answer it without talking, and he had shown his weakness to me. I was such a heel.  
  
There was a knock at the door, and several maids came in with two tubs, full of steaming water. I raised my eyebrows. "Hey, wait!" I yelled, but I was talking to the door. I sat on the bed. I guess we'd have to take turns, with the other going to the front of the inn and getting food. I stared out the window for a second, noting the fullness of the moon, and turned around to ask which of us would get the food first.  
  
But when I turned around, I came into full view of Link, stripping off his clothes. "LINK! What are you doing?!" He turned around, pulling his shirt the rest of the way off as he spun. I felt the blush creeping up my face. His body was toned, too. ~NO! Don't look!~  
  
He shot me a confused look, as he worked his trousers down. "Ummm... Maybe I'll get some food first... Can I borrow some rupees?" He nodded, and made a motion. I wasn't sure what it meant, so I just grabbed a few from his pouch and darted out the door, trying not to notice that he was now fully naked.  
  
Fifteen minutes later, in the common room, a tap on my shoulder alerted me to Link's presence. I looked up from my dish, and he shrugged at me. I handed him the change from the meal, fried cucco, which tasted, not surprisingly, like chicken, and stood. "I'm gonna go get clean now. Stay here, okay?"  
  
~You don't want him to stay here...~ an insidious voice in my head sneered. ~You want him to come and take a bath WITH you!~ I shook off the thought, and fled to the room. The water wasn't as hot as it had been, but it was passable. I stripped, and sank into the tub, sighing. This was not working out the way I thought it would, that was for sure. I wondered vaguely why the games had never depicted Link as needed to sleep or eat or bathe or go to the bathroom. Come to think of it, I don't remember the last time I had even SEEN a bathroom.  
  
The door opened slightly, and Link peered through the crack. I let out a yelp, and scrambled out of the bath, searching for a towel. When I managed to cover myself, I noticed something. Link was laughing. It was a beautiful sound, too. It was good to hear him laugh so freely. He had been so silent, and when I finally got him to say his name, it was such an ordeal, that I never really noticed his voice. I couldn't help but laugh with him.  
  
"Okay, okay. You can come in, I guess." I was still laughing as I climbed under the covers, wearing nothing but the pair of boxers I had awoken in that morning. That morning? Had it really only been a day? My encounter with the Princess of Hyrule seemed so long ago. As I drifted off to sleep, it occurred to me. What if she was right? 


	6. A Stranger Among Friends

Disclaimer: I am not a professional writer. I DO spell check, but sometimes things slip through the cracks, and so I miss them. I keep meaning to go back and fix them, but... Also, I know where I'm going with this, so if there are inconsistancies in the story or geography of Hyrule, bear with me. Everything will make sense eventually. I hope. Now, for old time's sake: I don't own ANY of the characters that aren't mine, so DEAL with it.  
  
Chapter 6: A Stranger Among Friends  
  
The night passed without incident, and I awoke the next morning to discover Link had already gone. I was grateful I had run into him, honestly. I didn't know what I would have done if I hadn't. I wouldn't have been able to sleep anywhere, at least. Not without money, and I highly doubted that the three dollars and forty-five cents I had on me would have been accepted, let alone purchased a room for the night.  
  
As I gathered my things, I discovered a note pinned to my shirt:  
  
Colt- Sorry I couldn't stay. I had a strange dream. I left you some money in your pants pocket. Watch yourself, it's dangerous outside. -Link  
  
I shook my head. What was his motivation? I pulled on my pants, and felt around my pockets. I came up with a hundred rupees. I nearly choked. What did he expect to gain? Years of abuse and neglect had left me a tad cynical when it came to believing the best of people. Which was ironic, I suppose, because it also came with a burning need to have one person I could trust implicitly. But things don't always make sense.  
  
I would have pondered the issue longer, but I had things to do. I still had to find the gate keeper and deliver Impa's note. I paused. Gate keeper? But I was already IN the village! I studied the note as I made my way out to the front of the inn. The innkeeper scuttled over. "Your companion left about an hour ago! Did you have a fight?" He grinned knowingly, and I shook my head.  
  
"Do you know where I might find the Sheikah?" I queried, ignoring the undertone of that statement. I guess such things were not unheard of, here.  
  
"The Sheikah, eh? What would you be wanting THOSE savages for, boy? They'd rip you apart in seconds, before you could raise that pig sticker you call a sword that's strapped to your back." My back? I hadn't noticed, but the harness for the sheath had indeed been rigged for my back. I had put it on without even thinking about it. This place was getting to me.  
  
"That's NOT your concern, sir." I was well aware that he had called me boy, abandoning the "sir" of the night before. Apparently there was more than one reason to keep Link around. "Tell me where I can find them, or I'll leave." He shrugged. I winced, realizing I had already stayed the night, and was planning to leave anyway. "Look, buddy. I'm not looking for any trouble. Just tell me where to go, and I'll be out of your hair, okay?" I did my best to look dangerous, but, judging from the unimpressed look I received for my trouble, managed to look mildly constipated instead.  
  
"Fine. Take the path to the Death Mountain Gate, and bear a hard left. The gate to the Sheikah portion of the Village is in that cave."  
  
"Thank you, sir." I smiled sweetly, and turned away. As I walked away, I could have sworn I heard him mutter something about 'damn fae' but it may just have been my imagination.  
  
The path to the mountain wasn't hard to find, but the search for the cave proved to be a task. Finally, I noticed a small hole partially hidden behind a shrub. The cave. Shit. I was supposed to squeeze in THERE? No way. No fucking way! It was just big enough to admit a large dog. I gritted my teeth. In there was the only way to discover the way home. The way back to my life.  
  
Closing my eyes, and clenching my jaw, I crawled into the hole. ~You're in a field, you're in a field.~ I chanted, trying to convince myself. But I could feel the walls pressing down. "I can't do this!" I wailed. I tried to turn around, but there was not enough room. I was panicking now. I scrambled forward in the gloom. I had to get out of here. It was getting difficult to breath, and I could feel consciousness slipping. ~NO!~ Mustering one last burst of energy, I propelled myself forward, and found myself tumbling down a steep hill.  
  
I came to rest at the base of a gigantic doorway. Standing a few feet away was a guard, who was watching me, an amused expression playing across his face. "You COULD have used the FRONT door, you know." My eyes followed his finger, and I groaned. There was a stairwell that led directly into the village.  
  
I stood, and brushed hopelessly at the dust that clung to my garments. I raised my eyes to take in the immense presence of the gates to the Sheikah city. I took a step forward, but the guard raised his spear and brandished it threateningly. "I don' t think so, Blondie. No one enters our city without an invite." I stepped back, studying him. His hair was an odd tint of blue. Blue? No, it was just black, but the way the light reflected, it gave it a strange bluish cast.  
  
"Impa told me I could get help here."  
  
"Impa? She told you that, eh, Blondie? 'N why should I believe ya?" He took a menacing step forward.  
  
"I have a letter for you." I waved the note she had given me, trying not to look smug. Antagonizing men with spears is never a good idea.  
  
"Gimme that!" He was at my side before I could blink, reading the letter I had not remembered giving him. No, this was NOT a man to anger. He sighed. "Damn. I was hopin I would get to have some fun. Ya don't fight a Hylian ev'ry day, after all."  
  
A HYLIAN? No no no no... This was getting WAY out of hand. "I'm no Hylian. I'm just a nobody who's in way over his head." The man snorted derisively.  
  
"Nuh uh. You got th' hair, Blondie." I scowled, but he was right. I had only seen two other blondes since I had arrived, and those had been Link and Zelda. Damn. Once again, circumstance had thrown me a curve ball.  
  
"Um. Okay, you caught me. I'm Hylian." I shrugged mentally. I had told bigger lies in the last twenty-four hours, so what could one more possibly do?  
  
The guard smiled. "Sure! Well, that there note sez you gotta talk to the mayor, so I reckon I'll letcha pass. Th' mayor lives down this road a ways. Can't miss it." He smiled. "Mayor knows jus' 'bout ev'ry thin' there is to know. Good luck, Blondie."  
  
"Thanks." People were so weird around here. ~When I get home, I'm gonna need SERIOUS therapy.~ I chuckled at my own wit, and made my way down the path. As I walked, I began to whistle. ~I'll bet this mayor guy knows the way home~ Things were starting to look up, after all. 


	7. Lesson in Leaving

Disclaimer. um... Yeah. Well, I've done this before, I know... I own nothing... Except I just added an old man and another of Colt's ex- boyfriends to my list of people I do own. Dance, puppets, DANCE! Mwah ha ha ha ha. Um... Right.  
  
Note: I know approximately where I'm going... But I'm basically making this up as I go along, so bear with me if the chapters aren't all stimulating... I'm still trying to decide if I'm going to allow a relationship between Link and Colt to develop, or if I'm gonna take the angsty road. Feedback would be welcome. (Look, I've been reduced to begging for reviews! Is there no justice in the world?)  
  
  
  
Chapter 7: A Lesson in Leaving  
  
I could see the building that served as the city hall long before I arrived at its marble gates. I stood for a minute, trying to get my bearings. It was a huge palace, oddly out of place in comparison to the rest of the underground city. Suddenly unsure of myself, I made my way through the throng of people and into a large antechamber.  
  
A boy of no more than fifteen stood behind the counter. He glanced at me with bored disinterest, and sighed. "Can I help you... sir?" He sounded as if he wanted to do nothing of the sort, but I let it go.  
  
"I'm here to see the mayor?" It sounded sort of pathetic, but it was in keeping with the rest of my little vacation, so I wasn't going to let it bother me.  
  
"Do you have an appointment?" An appointment? Oh, shit.  
  
"No..." I was floundering again. "Uh... Impa sent me?" God. How clichÃ©. What's next, Colt? 'Hark, who goes there?'? The boy was unimpressed.  
  
"Take a number, and wait for it to be called." He turned away, dismissing me. What else could I do? I took a number and sat down. "Now serving number 243." I looked at my number. 361. Shit. The whole experience reminded me of my first (and last) trip to the DMV. I sat there for almost two hours while the computer called numbers I was sure were being made up.  
  
"Now serving 244. Number 244." I sighed. I was getting nowhere fast. I stuffed the number in my pocket, and stood up. There was a shout, and a loud twang, and an arrow thudded into a post mere inches from my head, followed by a loud crack. Something large and hard struck my head. My vision blurred, and the darkness swallowed me.  
  
~*~*~  
  
The darkness gave way into a vast white expanse. There was nothing in any direction, like I had climbed into a blank piece of paper and wrapped myself in it.  
  
I began to walk. I wasn't sure where I was going, but I knew I couldn't just stay there.  
  
"Colt?" That voice sounded oddly familiar, but I couldn't put my finger on exactly who it was. "Colt, can you hear me?" That voice... The phone... Phone? It was on the tip of my tongue. "Colt, I'm scared." A man. A guy... Why can't I remember? "Colt! PLEASE!" There was a face, in the bleak expanse. It tugged at my memory, but still nothing. "COLT!!!! HELP MEEE-" The voice cut off, and started to scream. The sound pierced my mind, and the white expanse shattered.  
  
~*~*~  
  
"Are you all right, lad?"  
  
"Could someone turn down the drums?" It took me a second to realize the drums were just the pounding of my head. I didn't want to open my eyes. If I didn't open my eyes, I could still imagine that I was home. I could almost smell the coffee scent that clung to my hair and clothes after a day's work. I could just hear the shouts of my younger siblings bickering. As long as I didn't open my eyes, I could believe it was all just a dream.  
  
"Are you all right?" The wavering voice persisted, edging in on my fantasy. Sighing, I opened my eyes and came face to face with what had to be the oldest living being I'd ever encountered. His face was cracked and wrinkled, and reminded me vaguely of a spider web.  
  
"I'm... " I paused. I wasn't fine, as far as I knew, since I was still apparently trapped in this impossible reality. "... alive, anyway." That was good enough. "What happened?"  
  
"One of the supplicants was unsatisfied with the answer the Oracle gave him, and tried to force his way back into the Sanctum of Wisdom." Sanctum of Wisdom? Okay... At this point, I'd left weird FAR behind. We were crossing into the threshold of 'holy SHIT'.  
  
"Where am I?"  
  
"The antechamber of the Sanctum of Wisdom." He smiled at me.  
  
"How did I get here? How the hell..." I wasn't sure if I was referring to the antechamber or Hyrule in general. Suddenly, a smirk crossed my face. "Pan left, close on the steeple of the church." Might as well have fun, right? The old man shot me an odd look. "Never mind." But it had made me feel better. "Can I see the oracle now?" He nodded, and I followed him unsteadily.  
  
The sanctum was disappointing, to say the least. I had expected candles and statues and religious relics, and maybe a portrait or two of the three goddesses of Hyrule. What were their names? Shit... Uh... Din, Nayru and... Damn, I could never remember that last one. Farore! That was it. But the room was strangely bare except for a small representation of what was undoubtedly one part of the triforce. It revolved silently on it's pedestal, bathed in blue light.  
  
"The REAL Oracle is protected by the Zoras." The old man stated simply. "This is just a conduit." I shrugged, not remembering the games mentioning any oracles except the oracles of Ages, Seasons, and Secrets. "Go on... Touch it."  
  
My heart was pounding. The notion of touching the triforce gave me serious pause. ~It's just a representation.~ I told myself, but I was unconvinced.  
  
"Well?" I sighed. Tentatively, I reached out my hand and placed it on the small triangle. It was cold. I frowned. Nothing was happening. Suddenly, there was a flash of light. When my eyes cleared, I found nothing had changed. I glanced back, but the old man was gone. Shaken, I removed my hand and stuck it in the pocket of my jeans. I turned, and gasped. A figure had appeared in the doorway. I had to squint against the light, but I was just able to make out who it was.  
  
It was Riley Alaister. He had been my best friend in elementary school, and my first real crush. In sixth grade, we made out behind the drama building every day during recess, until the seventh grade PE teacher had found us. Riley's parents were outraged, and sent him to boarding school. The Tyrant wasn't as friendly.  
  
"Riley?" I felt my heart tearing. I hadn't seen him since we sat sulkily in the principal's office and listened to a lecture on the immorality of homosexuality. We had made faces at each other when her back was turned, each trying to make the other laugh. "Riley, is that you?" I felt the tears starting to form behind my eyes, and I blinked to keep them out. I ran to him. He smiled at me weakly.  
  
"I cannot stay long. I am here to answer your question, no more, no less. Ask."  
  
"But... Riley... " I tried to embrace him, but he stepped away from me.  
  
"Ask." There were tears in his eyes too. Or was it my imagination?  
  
I nodded. When I got home, I would do my best to locate him. "How do I get home?" Rileythought for what seemed like an eternity. My heart stopped for an instant. What if there WAS no way home? What if I was stuck here forever? But then, he was speaking.  
  
"The way from this prison is not easy. Do not let your judgment be clouded by emotion. You must find the wisdom to separate reality and illusion. Trust yourself. You know what needs to be done." He stopped, and turned away. "I miss you, Colt. Come home soon, okay?" His voice was choked, and I felt the tears trickle down my cheek.  
  
"Wait! Riley! Please!" I ran to him, trying to stop him, but he had vanished before I had reached him. Another flash of light, and I found myself back with my hand against the blue triangle. The old man was standing behind me again.  
  
He smiled at me, and I found myself detesting him. "Did you find what you needed?"  
  
Suddenly I was furious. "What the FUCK WAS THAT? How DARE you fuck with my emotions? What gives you the right..." But as swiftly as it had come, my anger had vanished. The old man seemed unfazed by my outburst, however.  
  
"You met someone you loved once. It's that way with everyone. The one who came to you had a dream about you, but will probably not remember it come tomorrow." He smiled at me again, mollifying me. It occurred to me that he seemed to smile every twenty seconds or so. "That's the way of the Path of Wisdom. One gains Wisdom through study of the errors of one's Past. That's the belief that our sect of the Trinity holds above all others."  
  
"Trinity?" I smiled inwardly at the bastardization of the Christian mythos. I had never been much of a religion fan.  
  
"The three sects of the Goddesses. Power, Wisdom, and Courage. Each of the Sheikah remaining in the world since the Plague holds to one of those three basic truths. Nayru, the patron goddess of this city, is the goddess of wisdom." I didn't bother to inform him that I knew all this already. I'd learned that it's unsettling when strangers knew more about your life than you did yourself. Which, of course, was not to say I had ANY idea what was going on, but, hey...  
  
"Anyway, Riley... I mean... the oracle didn't tell me anything useful. Something about reality and illusions, but nothing valuable. I'm still not sure how to get what I want."  
  
"Of course not. It's not the oracle's job to tell you what to do, but to give advice." He smiled again. Damn. I was getting sick of his smile.  
  
"Well, even as advice, it was pretty damn useless." He just shrugged. "Now what do I do?"  
  
"I would suggest asking the Gerudo. Of course, you can't just waltz in there, you'll have to sneak in. But I'm sure a warrior such as yourself will have no problem, right?" Warrior? Were all the denizens of Hyrule insane? I just shook my head.  
  
"How am I supposed to ASK them, if I'm supposed to avoid them?"  
  
"They possess another of the three oracles. Maybe it will set you in the right direction?" Great. Another oracle. I sighed. "They reside in the desert to the north. Be careful."  
  
I forced a smile, markedly similar to his rictus. "I'm always careful." Maybe I was getting into this warrior thing? Maybe not. As soon as I got cocky, I would also get dead. A sobering thought, to be sure. I sighed, and made my way back to Kakariko Village. 


	8. The Missing Link

Disclaimer: I don't know why I bother with these things any more... I'm sure no one even bothers to read them. I know I don't. But anyway. This is the part where I tell you I don't own anything that anyone else has a claim on, and that all characters I create are purely fictitious, except when they aren't. But telling you who is who wouldn't be very nice, now would it?  
  
Chapter 8: The Missing Link  
  
Night was falling by the time I made it back to the gates of the Village. I wasn't thrilled by the prospect of traveling in the darkness, but the thought of going back to the inn was even more repulsive, so I figured I'd take my chances with whatever waited in the night.  
  
Sword in hand, I padded down the steps, trying to keep as quiet as possible. Absently, I wondered what Link was doing. As if in answer, I heard a shout, and the clash of swords from down the river. Cursing, I ran along the stream, trying not to skewer myself on my sword.  
  
It didn't take me long to reach the source of the sound. I found Link, sword drawn, locked in battle with an armored skeleton. Snarling, I hefted my sword and charged towards them recklessly. I hefted my blade, and lopped off the skeleton's arm, leaving him vulnerable to the sharpened edge of Link's steel. The skull hit the ground, and rolled, gazing up at me with vacant sockets. The rest of the specter cracked, and collapsed.  
  
"So much for Kate Moss." I joked. Link glanced at me blankly. Right. Pop culture references in an imaginary world are NOT appreciated, I guess. "Never mind. Are you okay?" He nodded, and I sighed. This one-sided conversation thing was getting old. "Where are you headed?"  
  
"C.c..ca..castle." Hyrule castle... Huh.. Zelda, no doubt. Although, he hadn't remembered her when I had mentioned her before... Had they met, then? How long had I been in the Sanctum?  
  
"Oh. Okay, then. I guess I'll be on my way, then. It was nice seeing you again. Oh, and thanks, by the way, for the rupees and stuff. I... " I sighed. "Never mind. Anyway... maybe we'll cross paths again." I paused, leaving him an opening to invite me to come along. I knew he probably wouldn't, but I couldn't help but wish. He just watched me, quietly. "Okay, then. This is me, leaving." Come on, Link... "G'night." I turned, and started to walk away, pausing every so often, just in case. Was he stupid, or did he just not care?  
  
"W...w...wait!" I stopped, and turned, heart pounding. This was the part where he told me he needed me, that he wanted me to come, and that he never wanted to be without me again, right??  
  
"H..h..h..he.here..." He held out a small pearl-colored object, potato shaped, and covered with holes. It took me a second to realize it was the Fairy Ocarina.  
  
"Won't you need this?" He smiled at me, and held up another, and I almost smacked myself. The Ocarina of Time. Of course! I didn't know he'd kept it.  
  
I nodded, and took the small woodwind. "Thank you, Link." I felt myself tearing up. Saria had given this to him. Did he not remember her, either? I put it in my backpack, noting absently how it never seemed to get any heavier, no matter what I put inside it, and forced myself to smile. "Well, I guess..."  
  
"C...c...come w..w...ith m..me?" I almost gasped. That was impossible. Link traveled alone. That was the way it had always been, and the way it always would be, right? But then, why had he allowed me to stay at the inn with him? This was getting more complicated by the second. And yet, another visit to Zelda's palace would help shed some light on the path home. And who knows? Maybe I'd locate another of the three oracles?  
  
"Sure." I smiled at him, and shouldered my bag. Sheathing my sword, it occurred to me that I had been pretty confident when wielding the weapon. Especially since I'd never even held a sword until two days ago. I smirked to myself. Why shouldn't I be adept with a weapon I'd never seen before? It happens in video games all the time, right? And what was this but a video game gone horribly wrong? Focus, Colt... Zelda first. Philosophical musings about the reality of RPG worlds later. "Well... To the castle, then?"  
  
Link grinned at me, and gestured. "R..r..race?" Well, he was certainly an enigma... I barely had time to nod before he took off down the sloping grass, leaving me panting to catch up with him.  
  
  
  
The trip back to the castle didn't take nearly as long as the trip from had taken two days before. Perhaps it was the companionship? I found that as we traveled, I was becoming more adept at translating his gestures, and that he didn't need to try to speak as often. As the castle loomed into sight, Link motioned for us to rest. Gratefully shrugging my pack from my shoulders, I threw myself under a nearby tree and tugged my shoes from my aching feet.  
  
Link smiled, and opened his pouch. He tossed me a sack of small red berries that reminded me vaguely of cherries. Then, he settled under the tree, and dozed off. I took that moment to examine my new ocarina. I had seen copies of these being sold in a magazine ad, and had purchased a small one for Zeke, who fancied himself something of a musician. I had ended up spending more time with it than he had, finding that I could toot out all my favorite melodies from Ocarina of Time.  
  
The ocarina I held now was of better quality, made of a material that shimmered in the dawning light. I had never understood why Link had found it necessary to exchange the ocarina for that nasty blue one, but hey, I didn't write the script. Or had the script been written at all? Did the story somehow transfer itself from this world into mine? Was my history taught as folklore here? All this inter-dimensional crap was making my head hurt, so I shoved it to the back of my mental filing cabinet, and resumed my appraisal of the ocarina.  
  
Glancing at the slumped form of my companion, I stood, and walked a couple yards towards the castle, and placed the ocarina to my lips. The sound that issued forth sent shivers down my spine, and before I realized what I was doing, I found myself playing the Ballad of the Windfish, a song I had spent weeks obsessing over, trying to find the right fingerings. The song floated through the air, and I could almost hear Amy's voice, so faintly that I couldn't be sure it wasn't just the song echoing back from across the plains. Suddenly, a second sound filled the air, a smooth tone, not as bright as my own. It flowed in and out and danced harmonies around my song, picking up the melody and playing off in variations. The sound brought me to my knees, but I kept playing. The song seemed to pull itself out of me, and I had no choice but to try and keep up.  
  
Finally, after what seemed like eons, but may have been no more than three or four minutes, the song came to an end, and I collapsed, tears filling my eyes. For a brief moment, I had seen something that defied description. I had fully understood what was happening to me, and it had both scared and excited me. But, as swiftly as the revelation had come, it was gone, leaving nothing but a vague recollection of something felt, an echo of a feeling that defied words. Link stood a few feet away, his ocarina in hand, gazing at me in wonder.  
  
"You felt it, too, huh?" He nodded, and frowned. "Has that ever happened before?" He shook his head. "Didn't think so." I stared down at the ocarina in my hand. It looked so innocent, so mundane. Who would have guessed that it possessed such power? Link's hand fell on my shoulder, and he nodded his head towards the drawbridge of the castle even as it lowered to greet the day. I stood, shakily, and placed the instrument in my pack. "Okay," I said, proud that my voice was steady, "let's get moving." We walked towards the open maw of the castle, and neither of us said anything about what had passed between us. We didn't have to. I already knew. And suddenly, I wasn't so sure I wanted to go home after all. 


	9. The Circle Unbroken

Author's Note: I decided calling these thingies disclaimers was misleading, since I don't really disclaim anything in them. So, I'll just call them notes from here on... Well, the project that was supposed to be a small little tale has taken on a life of its own, it seems. But, as life often does, this pretty little tale has gone long enough without a real purpose. So, I think, it's time to introduce the baddie... I've had this in the works for a while, but I couldn't think of a good way to introduce it in the context of the story... So...what better way to introduce a villain than... Well, if you're a Zelda fan, you probably already know, and if not... Well, you'll see.  
  
Chapter 9: The Circle Unbroken  
  
The feeling our little duet had produced began to wear off before we even entered the castle, fading in the face of the insidious doubts that crept into my head and rattled around. ~Had it just been my imagination, or did he feel it too?~ I glanced over at him, but he wasn't paying any attention to me. He had his eyes glued on our destination. I scowled, but what could I do?  
  
We walked down the street of Hyrule's capital city in silence, and from the corner of my eye, I could tell that the townsfolk were staring. Not that I could blame them. After all, it's not every day you see a bright orange swordsman, right? Odd, though, that a grown man walking around in green spandex didn't attract undue attention, but a guy in an orange shirt and jeans... that was grounds for staring. I was gonna have to find another outfit. I was too conspicuous. If some evil freak decided that it would be fun to torment me (and let's face it... this WAS Hyrule, so it was only a matter of time) I would stand out like a sore thumb. But I didn't have time to worry about that at the moment. I had other things on my mind.  
  
Hyrule Castle was bigger than I remembered, probably because the last time I'd seen it in its full glory, I was tumbling from a window, so... yeah. The drawbridge was up, but that didn't seem to bother Link, who ignored the castle entirely. He led me to down the side of the castle, to a small cluster of shrubs. Seemingly at random, he chose one, and hacked at it with his sword, revealing a hole that looked like it had been larger than the bush had been.  
  
I arched an eyebrow. "The shrub was floating?" Link snorted a laugh, and shrugged. I guess he didn't understand the physics of it, either. Casting one final glance to the landscape, Link jumped into the pit, sword bare. Staring down into the deep shadows, the idea of seeing the princess again didn't seem quite so appealing. Who knew what lay waiting in the darkness? Besides, I'd only get in Link's way. He was better off alone. Absently, I wondered what Amy was doing. I was just starting to walk away from the hole, when I heard a shout issue from the darkness. ~Damn... The things I do...~ I scolded myself, and leapt down into the blackness.  
  
*******  
  
I don't know what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn't what I saw. I found myself in a dank corridor, complete with torches and distant leaking sounds. Link was kneeling beside a crumpled form, who, judging by the armor, was a guard. Ignoring the water that was beginning to seep into my shoes, I padded to his side. He didn't glance up, but I could tell he was distraught.  
  
"What is it?" Now was not the time to be clever.  
  
"Shhhhh!" He cocked his head, listening. I couldn't hear anything but the echo of dripping.  
  
"What do you hear?" Funny, I'd been told to shut up, and I still felt the need to ask questions.  
  
"V..v..voices." He whispered. I still didn't hear anything, but his face was so serious, I hadn't the heart to tell him. "Th-his way!" He grabbed my shirt and tugged me into an alcove, grasping me against his chest. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling, and I think my reaction shocked him, because he tumbled out again, and into a pile of bones that littered the floor. I flushed, and stammered an apology. Maybe it HAD just been me. But I didn't have time to worry about how he felt about me, because a group of strangely dressed creatures began to shamble towards us, attracted by the ruckus.  
  
"Moblins!" I hissed after a moment, finally recognizing what I had only seen before as pixilated nonsense on a television screen. Link scrambled to his feet, and hefted his sword.  
  
"Ahh, look, my prettiesss. Fooood." The moblin's voice reminded me, oddly, of Gollum, of the Lord of the Rings. I pressed myself farther into the alcove, trying not to hinder Link's range of motion. The last thing I needed was to be slaughtered by my own ally. Link's sword flashed in the gloomy light, and several bursts of smoke issued from the corpses, leaving the corridor empty. Odd, how the good guys leave bodies, but the bad guys disappear in a burst of dust? Vampires, perhaps?  
  
When the last moblin had fallen, I stood staring at the pile of soot that marked the remains of our enemies. Suddenly, a thought hit me. "Moblins, in the castle... means... ZELDA! C'mon, Link. We have to get to the Princess before she gets herself captured." ~Again.~ I reflected, but kept that to myself.  
  
Without even glancing at me, Link dashed down the hall. I followed, panting. I wasn't use to all this running stuff. Hell, I'd hardly gotten a full night's sleep since I got here. Not that I felt tired, exactly. In fact, I don't recall having been sleepy at all, having gone to sleep merely because my mind had told me I should.  
  
The corridor opened on what was probably the grand hall at one time. Broken bodies littered the stairs like discarded dolls, and blood dried into the already red carpet. Link motioned for me to follow, and rushed up a flight of stairs. Odd, how he knew the place, though he could not remember Zelda. I drew my sword, ignoring the voice that insisted I wouldn't be able to use it if I needed it, and dashed after him.  
  
The throne room was deserted, surprisingly. I figured the King had probably ducked into the sewers before the wave of moblins had pushed their way through the defending lines. It occurred to me that I had no idea if the queen was even still in the picture at this point, but that was irrelevant.  
  
"Which way now? I don't suppose there's a map on the wall saying 'You are HERE' anywhere, right? So how the hell do we find the princess?" Link shot me a 'will you shut up already' look, and I fell silent. He cocked his head, listening. I guess all those years in the forest had done him some good, after all.  
  
"H..here." He ducked down a corridor that looked identical to all the others, but hey, he was the hero, here. I was just the plucky sidekick who had managed to develop a crush on his partner. Cliché, anyone?  
  
The corridor opened on what I remembered as Zelda's room. Unlike the rest of the castle, though, this room was not deserted. Zelda cowered against the wall, trying her best to maintain a psionic shield or something. Blood and bodies littered the floor, the final regiment of Zelda's guards, probably. Floating in the air, a robed, hooded figure watched with glee as the remains of his moblin army battered themselves against Zelda's faltering barrier. His face was deeply entrenched in the shadows of his hood, but his eyes shined golden in the darkness. It was the only feature of his face that I could make out.  
  
"Ahh... Colt. So good of you to attend my "Coming out" party. And you brought a friend, too! What fun."  
  
I glanced at him, and rolled my eyes. "Do all of the bad guys always feel the need to spout idiotic rhetoric? I suppose this is the part where you tell me all of your evil plan because you have no intention of letting me live, right?" Great, Colt. Antagonize the big scary floating guy. Why don't you give him a robe wedgie, while your at it?  
  
"You try my patience, boy." I glanced over at Link, hoping he'd taken the opportunity to slay the remaining beasts. I gulped. There were three left, and I was running out of things to say. I guess killing them isn't as easy as it is in the games. What, two swipes from a sword, while they amble calmly towards you? Doesn't seem to work that way. Damn, too bad, too.  
  
"You seem... upset. Is the robe chafing? Maybe you shouldn't shop at "Creepy Monks R Us" so often?" I was running out of material, and fast. But I had to keep him talking, so he didn't realize that Link was in the process of rescuing the Princess.  
  
"Insolent child! You DARE mock me? Have you no idea to whom you speak?"  
  
"Not especially. I think your name-tag must have fallen off."  
  
"ENOUGH! You have insulted me long enough. Prepare to meet your doom!" He lifted his hand, and the light in the room seemed drawn in, turning his hand a glowing blue. His eyes glowed brighter as the room got dimmer. ~Well, this is it, I guess.~ I thought, trying not to laugh. I wondered if I would die here, or wake up there, or end up somewhere ELSE. I never got the chance to find out. Link, having slayed the moblins, shouted a warning, and ran towards me, as my enemy let fly a bolt of blue ice.  
  
Neither reached me. Zelda, sensing my danger, shifted her shield so it covered me, instead of her. The bolt glanced harmlessly off the energy field, and smashed into a chair, freezing it. However, the barrier, finally stressed beyond its ability to cope, shattered, and propelled me against the wall. Zelda screamed in pain, and fainted.  
  
Seeing that Zelda had been left defenseless, he raised his hands, and her unconscious body began to float, despite Link's attempt to shield it. With a gesture of his hand, she winked out of sight. "Why, THANK you, boy. You have made my job easier. In return, I will spare your life, and that of your 'boyfriend' as well." He said it like it was a curse word. "Next time we meet, you will not be so lucky. And there will be a next time. You have something I want."  
  
"Let me guess. You always get what you want." I had to fight to keep my voice steady. I had just betrayed the princess of Hyrule.  
  
"Exactly. Till next time." He laughed, and vanished.  
  
I stared at the place he had been, and slowly, softly, I began to weep. 


	10. What I Really Meant to Say

Author's Note: Um... So Zelda's captured, Colt's depressed, and Link's... well... Link. (That was my recap for those of us who're too lazy to actually READ the rest of the story.) We have a baddie now... and I'm trying to figure out where I'm going with this. I have a general idea, but getting there is half the fun, right?  
  
Chapter 10: What I Really Meant to Say  
  
I don't know how long I sat there, curled in a ball, before I became aware that Link had his arm around me. He looked... uncomfortable. I guess he wasn't used to seeing grown men cry, and had only a vague idea of how he should act. I can't say I blamed him, though. He lived in a fantasy world where everything turned out all right for him in the end. I wish I could say the same for myself.  
  
It took me a minute, but I finally found my voice. "We should go. If the guards find us..." Link just nodded. Neither of us felt the need to point out that most, if not all, of the guards weren't going to be making their rounds ever again.  
  
I couldn't shake the feeling that this was all my fault. If I hadn't been so selfish, back in California, then everything would still be okay. My sheltered view of the world as I knew it wouldn't be lying in pieces at the bottom of my mental filing cabinet, I wouldn't be sitting here being comforted by someone who, for all I knew, didn't even exist a week ago, and there wouldn't be any psychotic sorcerers out for my blood.  
  
Link stood, and proffered his hand. I took it, and stood unsteadily, leaning on him perhaps a little more for moral support than physical. "Where are we going?" I queried weakly. I wasn't sure I cared, as long as it was away from here. He just shook his head.  
  
"L...l...later." His tone, despite the stutter, brooked no argument, which was fine with me. I was in no mood to argue anyway. He led me down the corridor, while I tried not to look at the display of death and dismemberment that had taken residence in the once regal palace. It was an effort, since almost everywhere I looked there was evidence of the recent battle. Scraps of bloodied cloth, broken swords, body parts. My gut wrenched, and it took all the willpower I had left not to vomit. Some great hero I turned out to be. One battle, and already I was crying for Mommy. It wasn't like I had even killed anyone. Link had done all the work. All I had done was antagonized the fruit-loop.  
  
We reached the town in record time. It was strange, to watch the townsfolk go about their daily lives with next to no understanding of what had just happened a football field's length away. I wanted to scream at them, to make them understand, but Link's grasp was unforgiving, and the expression on his normally open face was unreadable. Had I alienated the one person I felt connected to, when I had betrayed the only other person we could both trust implicitly? In one single stroke, I had managed to become alone again. Link's attitude towards me seemed inconsistent. One minute we were playing duets in Hyrule Field, and the next, he was dragging me by my wrist to places unknown. How did he feel about me? And did it even matter, at this point?  
  
I mentally scolded myself. ~Dammit, Colt. You have better things to do than sing 'Heartbreak Hotel.' Zelda's gone, and you may be next. Focus. Now is not the time to cry over some blonde who may or may not hate you.~ Time was short, and I had to figure out what we were going to do. ~We? There IS no we! Only you and him. Two separate entities with perhaps a common goal, but in no way a we.~ I shoved the thought away. This was a wasted train of thought, leading only to endless self-pity and loathing. So, I contended myself with examining our surroundings as best I could, given the speed of our departure.  
  
Finally, Link allowed us to rest, slumping to the ground. I look at him questioningly, but he was silent. Well, more silent than usual, at least. I wasn't sure I wanted to know what was on his mind, anyway, so I leaned against the wall sullenly. This whole adventuring thing isn't everything it's cracked up to be. I tried to come across as vaguely disinterested, but his silence stung. I couldn't take it anymore. "Look, I'm sorry, okay? I didn't know she would do that. I didn't know! Please, don't be like this." I was on the verge of tears again.  
  
He didn't look at me, but he spoke, slowly, deliberately, trying hard to overcome the stutter that had been a barrier between us since I had arrived. "You...could...have...been...k..killed." I froze, shocked. I had thought he was mad at me for getting the princess caught, but he had been worried... about me?  
  
"I thought... what about Zelda?" He looked at me, for the first time since we'd left the castle, and shook his head.  
  
"The p..princess c...can be saved. But you..." He was right, of course. How many times had Zelda been kidnapped, and Link had always come to her rescue. I, on the other hand, was an anomaly around here... There was no precedent to follow. I could, theoretically, have dropped dead at any time. I shivered the thought away, and reached out for Link, but he pulled away, his eyes wet. Suddenly, I realized what was wrong. In letting me get close to him, he had given the Fates a hostage. Me. He actually cared about me, so if something were to happen... There would always be that bit of concern, especially after what had happened in the Princess's chambers.  
  
"So what do we do now, then?" Saying anything through the lump in my throat was an effort, but that was especially difficult... I already knew the answer.  
  
He glanced away, wiping his eyes in a half-concealed gesture to regain his composure. "I s...save Zelda. Y..you g..go to Kokiri F...forest. Y...you'll be s...safe there."  
  
The response was what I had expected, but that didn't mean I would go quietly. "No! I want to go with you! I have every right to help... after all, this is MY journey too... You don't understand! If I don't, I'll never get back to my own universe." He froze, and turned to stare at me. Shit. I guess I left that part out. I scuffed my foot in the dirt. "Forgot to tell you that, huh?" He didn't answer. Not that I blame him. "It's not a big deal, you know? So I'm inter-dimensionally displaced. Who isn't, nowadays?" I forced myself to laugh, but when I looked into his eyes, I could see I had deeply hurt him.  
  
He shook his head, as if he were trying to rid himself of the thought of me. "F...forest." His voice chilled me. He'd never sounded so cold.  
  
"But..." I protested, but it was too late. "Fine," I yelled at his receding figure, "be that way! I didn't want to go with you anyway!" My voice cracked, and I succumbed to the sobbing for the second time that day. 


	11. Desert or Bust

Author's Note: I've been getting complaints regarding the speed of my updates... You have to understand, this is the longest story I've ever written... I've never even kept a journal this long. Plus, as astonishing as this may sound, I have a LIFE! ::collective gasp:: For those of you that care about my personal life, I've been going out and dating... YAY... leaves little time for writing. However, I have no intention of abandoning any of my stories. Not even the ones that haven't seen the light of day yet... Yes, I do have other ideas that I'd like to try. Maybe even a sequel to THIS... of course, I'd have to finish it first, huh?  
  
Additional Note: Yes, I know it's short, but I had to get him to the desert somehow... Next one will be longer, I promise. And yes, the dialect IS obnoxious, but hey... I'd get bored if everyone spoke the same way.  
  
Chapter 11: Desert or Bust  
  
It wasn't until I began to get hungry that I finally uncurled and stood up. Time had gone by, as it usually tends to do, and the sun was almost overhead. I wasn't sure if time worked the same way around here, since as far as I knew, in one game, Link's entire adventure never saw dusk, and in another, the sun set more times than it reasonably should. So, I had no reference for how much time had passed. Not that I cared. Too much of that neat self pity going on. It seemed to me I had a choice. I could either follow Link, or go off to Kokiri Forest.  
  
I thought about it for a second, and decided the prospect of seeing Link, with his soulful, wounded eyes, thrilled me about as much as a root canal. So, it was off to see the Deku, the wonderful Deku of Trees. I groaned inwardly. Judy Garland I'm not. Besides, how could I miss the chance to see Saria? I gathered my things, shouldered my pack, and turned south, towards the forest. Humming the most depressing songs I knew, I sullenly slunk down the grass plains.  
  
It only took about two hours (Or whatever passed for hours in this time- forsaken place) for me to realize how hopelessly and utterly lost I was. There was no sign of the forest, and the Castle and surrounding city had faded into the distant horizon. Growling to myself, I slumped against a tree, beside a large pile of rags someone had discarded. No wonder, too, with the odor that permeated the area. "What now?" I asked, to no one in particular. I was answered by a coughing noise, followed by grunting, coming from the pile. I leapt to my feet, my hand positioned on my sword. The rags stirred a little, and man who would best be described as ancient pushed himself to his feet.  
  
"Who the hell are you!" I shouted, mistakenly believing that the louder I shouted, the braver I'd seem. The figure scowled, and stared down at me with a scrutiny that only comes with age, with eyes that spoke of wisdom only found at the bottom of a bottle.  
  
"You'r'goin th' wron' way, lad." He winked at me, dislodging a clump of dirt that had taken residence under his eye. I tried not to wince. "You'd'be wantin' the desher'. Tha'way!" He pointed with a mud encrusted finger. But I shook my head.  
  
"No, sir. I'm headed for the Lost Woods." I was trying to keep my voice amiable. No point in making any more enemies.  
  
"Losh' woodsh nothin'! The thin' you'be sheekin' ish 'n the DESHER'" He smiled, displaying teeth that would have made even the greediest dentist faint with shock.  
  
I tried to remain calm, but it was an effort. "No, sir. Link told me to go to the Forest and wait for him." *He's not coming back, you know* I pushed the thought away. "So if you could just point me in that direction..."  
  
"Lin' eh? Ah, yesh. We rem'bersh him. Hyl'an lad, like yershelf." I bit back the protest. This was becoming second nature to me now. "We shaw 'im, we did. Headed fer the Palashe. Dangeroush plashe, the palash."  
  
"The Palace?" I was getting better at deciphering is almost unintelligible speech, anyway. "What palace?"  
  
The old man looked at me like I had just told him I didn't know what rain was. "The PALASH, lad. The point wh're the trin'ty collidshe. He won' git in, though. No shir. Not wit'out YOU. You hash the key, lad."  
  
"The key?" This was getting old, fast.  
  
"Go to the desher'!" He pointed again, and I followed his finger. I could almost see the sand dunes rising in the distance.  
  
"But..." I turned back to him, but he was gone. Damn. Didn't anyone ever stay in one place for more than five minutes? I suppose I should be grateful he didn't ask if I wanted to hear all that again. I sighed, for what seemed like the fiftieth time in the last hour. Why does everything feel the need to complicate itself so much? Shrugging into my bag, I set off for the desert. 


	12. Hellfire

A/N: Heh. I get all inspired when I'm depressed, so perhaps it is a good thing that at the moment I'm pining away for a guy I know. Eh. Whatever gets me to the keyboard, right?  
  
Chapter 12: Hellfire  
  
My footsteps echoed sharply as I walked down the seemingly endless hallways of the Gerudo fortress. The sound reverberated through the walls, fracturing against the stone corridor and bouncing back a hundred fold. I winced. How I had managed to get this far without bringing hordes of the Amazonian women down on my head was beyond me. After all, I was hardly being covert. Perhaps it was merely another example of the convenient magic that permeated this strange land.  
  
Getting inside the fortress had been easier than the trek to the desert had been. After departing the grove in which I had encountered the crazy old man, I continued unerringly in the direction of the desert. It was easy; After I had decided that was where I was going, its location was etched in my mind. At first, the journey was relatively uneventful. Every so often, a monster would cross my path, and I would dispatch it with a few quick swipes of my sword and a swirl of dust. And so it continued, until I came upon a city I did not recognize.  
  
I suppose city isn't the right word. It was more of a large village. Then again, I might just have been a little jaded. Living in LA all my life, my view of how big a 'city' is became a tad distorted. It was a city compared to some of the villages I had seen in books on Medieval culture. Either way, I didn't remember any mention of it in the games I had played.  
  
The sign said Pyria Town, and was adorned with what looked like a child's interpretation of a bonfire. The houses themselves seemed slightly charred around the edges, and the smell of smoke lay heavily in the air. I winced, and walked through the open gates. It was like entering a furnace. As I moved quietly through the street, a burning wind buffeted against me, fighting my every step. There wasn't a single person anywhere in sight. Windows were latched tight, and market stalls stood empty. Several times I thought I saw movement from the corner of my eye, only to find it was nothing but the wind, howling in muted fury, flinging dust and dead leaves about. For all intents and purposes, this was a ghost town. At least, I thought it was.  
  
Finally, I came upon a building that, except for the name, was identical to the inn I had stayed at in Kakariko Village. The sign over the door proclaimed "The Dancing Dragon." Huh? Apparently some lore was universal. I paused, my hand poised to open the inn's door. Lore? Who's to say dragons weren't real here? I wracked my brain for any mention of dragons from the game, and then it hit me. Volvegia! This must be dragon country, then. With a hasty glance around me, I pulled open the door and ducked into the inn.  
  
The cold air rushed over me like a bucket of ice water. I shivered, and, absorbed as I was by the sudden temperature plunge, almost failed to notice that everyone in the inn had fallen silent. Nervously, I shuffled my feet and peered around the room. At almost every table tanned, wind-roughened men were staring at me.  
  
"Uh...." I mumbled, before a cheerful, red-faced man pulled me aside.  
  
"Don't get many travelers in these parts, sire. You'll be wanting a room, then? Not safe to travel after dark." His eyes drifted to my sword. "Even for a warrior such as yourself." He swallowed, and continued. "Seen more warriors in the last week than in the entire rest of the year. First the green fellow. Hair like yours, now that I'm thinking on it. Hylian lad, I suppose, same as you." I wasn't fazed by the Hylian comment as much as by the fact that Link had been here. But the innkeeper was still talking, so I couldn't ask about him. "Came yesterday, middle of the night. Left this morning, early. Like someone was tailing him." He glanced at me, his eyes suddenly taking a very shrewd glow. "Although, til yesterday, I'd thought that Hylians were just myths. And yet, here you are, live as a firebug. Nasty buggers, firebugs. We have enough fire 'round here as it is. Why just last week..." I groaned, and held up my hand. He paused, mid-sentence, and glanced at my sword again, gulping audibly. "So sorry, sir. Didn't mean to ramble. I get carried away sometimes. Jess said, she's my wife, mind you, and she says..."  
  
"I'd like to go to my room, if I may." My tone startled me. This warrior thing was *definitely* getting to me. The innkeeper nodded, and motioned for me to follow. As we made our way down the hall, he was silent. Well, until his talkative nature overcame his wariness. He rambled on, but I walked unheeding, lost in my own thoughts. Link had been here! And recently! After all, how many Hylians running around in green underwear could there be?  
  
The room was small, smaller than it had been in Kakariko, but I suppose that was to be expected. There had been two beds, then. The room was cool, at least, and after walking in the heat outside, I was weary. Not tired, but I needed to sit down and rest a while. I was asleep before my head hit the pillow.  
  
~*~*~  
  
The room was empty, except for me and a mirror. I knew immediately it was a dream, but something was...off. A light glowed from an unseen source, giving the room an unearthly cast. It was not my room at the inn, but it seemed strangely familiar. Like I had been there before. I glanced around the windowless room for a moment, before focusing on the mirror.  
  
It was ornate, the framework decorated with symbols- in a pattern remarkably similar to written language- and gilded with silver and gold. The mirror itself was in the shape of a keyhole, twice the size of a man. Gazing into it, I saw nothing but my own reflection. The room behind me was a dark blur, not truly real. My bare chest took me by surprise. I could have sworn I was wearing a shirt. But, there I was, tanned, but half naked.  
  
The scorpion tattoo that had thrust me into this misadventure glittered oddly on my shoulder. It took me a moment to realize it was blue. *But wasn't it always blue?* The thought struck me as odd. But the tattoo didn't hold my attention for long. My eyes were drawn to my face. As I stared at it, it contorted into a mad rictus, snarling at me. I felt fear, not for the first time since being drawn into Hyrule, and probably not for the last, but I knew, in the way of dreams, that I was in grave danger. And that it wasn't necessarily external.  
  
~*~*~  
  
I awoke the next morning to the sounds of screaming. I pulled on my shirt, and strapped on my sword. I almost didn't notice that the tattoo had indeed taken on a strange shade of blue. I could have sworn it used to be black. Strange, though, was how I wasn't quite sure... Forcing the thought aside, I strode purposefully from my room, looking for all the world like a warrior about to do battle.  
  
"Sir!" The innkeeper ran over, looking more than a little disheveled, and a bit singed at that. "Sir, you must help! The great Dragon Pykcon has come for his tribute a week early! We were not prepared, so he is now destroying the town! You must slay him for us!" I faltered. Slay? A DRAGON? Were they mad? I couldn't slay a Dragon. I could barely battle Moblins!  
  
"I..." But my protests were cut short by the sounds of a child screaming. Gritting my teeth, I nodded. "Show me the way." A wave of relief washed over his features, and he motioned for me to follow.  
  
At the front door, he paused. "Here, you'll need these." He rummaged in a chest for a moment, and came out with three small objects. A shield, a bow, and a quiver full of arrows. "Hurry, before there is nothing remaining!" And he shoved me outside.  
  
The Dragon glanced at me, amused. "You'd dare challenge me?" He blew a blast of fire at me, but instinctively, I blocked it with my newly acquired shield. Pykcon howled in rage. "You DARE!"  
  
I couldn't help but smile, trying to ignore the fact that I was shaking in my boots. Who was I kidding? I wasn't going to slay this Dragon... He would have me for supper. He flew above me, circling. I felt a wave of despair ~This is where my tale ends, then?~ But then, I noticed something. One of the scales on his stomach was missing. I couldn't help but grin. Thank the gods for the Hobbit! I pulled an arrow from my quiver and nocked my bow. I drew back, and, trying to ignore the fact that the last time I'd fired a bow had been at summer camp almost seven years ago, I let fly. Either the bow was enchanted, or my aim was better than I thought, because the arrow flew true, imbedding itself in the soft flesh behind the scales. The Dragon screamed in outrage, and thrashed about, dislodging more scales from his underbelly.  
  
"You messed with the WRONG Hylian, bud!" I shouted, and let loose another streak of wood. The Dragon dove at me, snorting fire with every breath, but I rolled out of the way. The grass were I had been standing didn't even waste time burning. It was just suddenly ash. Fully aware that I would be next if I let my guard down, I nocked another arrow. It flew as well as its brothers, and the Dragon let loose one final cry of pain, before smoldering before our very eyes.  
  
A cry came from the surviving villagers. They were all celebrating. Feeling more than a little pleased with myself, I accepted their gratitude. They showered me with rupees, and food, and pointed me in the direction of the Gerudo Fortress. 


	13. The Last Gerudo

Chapter 13: The Last Gerudo  
  
Having defeated the Dragon, I continued to pick my way along the increasingly rocky terrain. Only the searing heat and desolate landscape marked that this was the desert. I'd always imagined deserts to be vast, sandy wastes, but... Barring that, the scorched land I traversed fit the description perfectly.  
  
At first, I thought the great stone building rising in the distance was a mirage. A giant hallucination brought on by the fact that I hadn't had anything to eat since three days or so ago. Not that I was hungry, of course. At that point, though, I think I would have welcomed hunger. Anything to let me know I still lived. I hadn't sneezed, or coughed, or had a cramp since I got here, and I was starting to wonder if perhaps I wasn't trapped in some elaborate delusion.  
  
Even as I thought of it, I shook the idea away. My imagination wasn't THAT developed. No way could it have concocted an entire world for me to play in, compete with Dragons to slay, and some such nonsense. But then, hadn't there been an episode of Buffy to that effect?  
  
I snorted. ~Nice, Colt. Let's live our lives by the guidelines that an overly-syndicated television show sets for us.~ My quota for philosophical mutterings fulfilled for the day, I continued to pick carefully through the rock outcroppings, until I finally came to the door. Strangely, it wasn't guarded.  
  
Walking through the corridors I winced, my footsteps augmented by the acoustics of the hallways. Around every corner, I expected to encounter hordes of ferocious women, bows drawn, ready to string me up for the simple crime of having a Y chromosome. Strangely, though signs of habitation abounded, there was no movement. Food sat cooling on a table in the vast dining hall. Clothes draped over chairs, fires dying in fireplaces, and books lying open on the table all led me to the conclusion that something had happened to send the Gerudo fleeing. And that? Not a good sign.  
  
I found the answer to my unspoken question in the hall that probably served as the Sanctum of Power. Corpses littered the floor, lying in pools of their own blood, eyes glazed. Perhaps forty or fifty figures lay dead or dying in that stone hall. After I had finished vomiting, my eyes drifted to the pedestal that had housed the Oracle of Power conduit. It was empty.  
  
I swore softly. This entire trip had been a waste. Sighing, my eyes scanned the carnage for sign of someone who was conscious enough to tell me what happened. I could already tell I was going into shock, my mind numbing itself to the horror that lay sprawled across the halls before me. All that was remained was cold efficiency.  
  
I found what I was looking for soon enough. Amidst thirty-nine dead women, one young Gerudo was still breathing. Strangely, when I picked my way over to her, trying not to think about exactly what was squishing under my shoes, she flinched, as though she expected me to finish her off. The surprise was evident when I pulled a strip of cloth from a nearby corpse... *Just don't think about it* and began to try to stop the blood flow. I'm not TOTALLY heartless, after all. Fortunately, she wasn't severely injured. The wounds she'd sustained looked mostly superficial, though there was one down her cheek I was certain would leave a scar. Not that she would mind.  
  
We left the Sanctum together, with her leaning on me for support, and me trying not to stumble under the extra weight. I sat with her, while she ate, and stared at me as if I were some sort strange new creature. "Your clothes are strange." She said, around an apple.  
  
"I'm from out of town." To say the least. "What happened here?" No point in wasting time with pleasantries. I needed to talk to the Oracle. That is, if the Oracle would give me a chance to speak. Last time, I'd done more listening than anything else.  
  
"We were attacked by Stalfos. They were searching for the conduit to the Oracle of Power. The leader said something about denying someone its power." She glanced at me, her shrewd glance out of context next to the gash. "I assume he meant you. He seemed to be in a hurry. Perhaps that is why I still live." She glanced back at the door to the Sanctum. I shivered. I couldn't imagine what it would be like to be the last of your kind. To know that after you, there's nothing. It wasn't a pleasant thought.  
  
"They took the conduit, then?" She hesitated, and I realized I was holding my breath. The Oracle of Wisdom spoke in cryptic riddles, but perhaps that was the way of Wisdom. Maybe the Oracle of Power would give me better insight into my plight. Or perhaps not. But it was worth a shot.  
  
She shook her head, glancing in my direction, so fast I wouldn't have noticed it if I hadn't been watching her as closely as I was. "The Elder hid it. We knew something like this would happen. The Oracle gave us sufficient warning." She sighed. "Not sufficient enough, it seems. We were hopelessly outmatched. They withdrew, though, once my Sisters had been slaughtered. Strange, that they should leave me alive."  
  
It was strange, and alarm bells were ringing in the back of my mind, but I ignored them. "Where is the conduit, then?" My heart was pounding. If I wasn't allowed to be with Link, at least I could go home and start again. Make a new life for myself. One that didn't revolve around dead siblings.  
  
"Follow me." I stood, and followed her to a small alcove. She placed her hand on a brick, whispering something I couldn't make out. There was a grating noise, and a panel cleverly concealed in the wall swung open, revealing the floating triangle. My pulse raced, and my palms began to sweat. Finally, after so long, my journey was almost finished. I could return home, and live out the remainder of my years in quiet solitude.  
  
I reached out, ready to place my hand on the glistening red surface, when a voice from behind me froze my blood in my veins.  
  
"Well, thank you, boy, for saving me the trouble of ripping this place apart." 


	14. Power Play

A/N: Weeeeeeeeee..... Left a bit unexplained, but I'll get to it.  
  
Chapter 14: Power Play  
  
Pain. For as long as I can remember, there has been pain, clawing its way up from some internal wellspring like a demon from a hellmouth. I can't even remember a time when I wasn't in some form of pain or another. Usually emotional, but occasionally, there might be some physical pain thrown in there too, just to keep it interesting. But mostly, it just hurts. A dull, throbbing ache just incorporeal enough to not actually be physical pain, but not enough to go unnoticed at most hours of the day. First the abuse of my stepfather, then the loss of my brother, and to a lesser extent, Alex. And now Link.  
  
But all that, every nuance of pain I thought I was familiar with, was comfort compared to the pain that wracked every crevice of my body. My blood boiled in my veins, and my bones felt as though they were laced with fire. Every instinct in my body cried out for me to run, to flee from whatever it was that was causing my agony. Thought and memory fled before the scourge, and there was only the pain. It was my world, my universe. I WAS the pain.  
  
And then it was gone. I was alone, lying naked on cold stone steps. The girl, the Gerudo I had saved, was gone. And so was the Sorcerer. I stood up, shivering, trying to force my mind into some pattern, force myself to make some sense.  
  
"Am I dead?" My voice sounded flat, cold and lifeless in the stale air of the fortress. But the residue of the intense agony I had just been subjected to still left my heart pounding, and my head kept time. So not dead, then. But, why had he spared me? He'd found the Oracle conduit, of course... It was no longer on the pedestal. So then, why was I still alive?  
  
"Colt."  
  
I spun, my hand reaching for my sword but only encountering bare flesh. And then, I gasped. Standing in the doorway was the last person I had expected to see. Link. I stared at him for a moment. Something was wrong...  
  
"I cannot stay long. I am here to answer your question, no more, no less. Ask." Even before he finished the familiar phrase, it hit me. He wasn't stuttering anymore... which must mean... The Oracle! I must have touched the conduit when I fell. But...One question? What should I ask? Go home, or...Save Princess Zelda? Or... Have a happy life with Link? No. Link had made it clear when we parted that I could not stay here. So, then... Ask.  
  
"How do I get home?" Link paused, and though I could swear his face registered a bit of hurt, he looked strangely satisfied. I was suddenly struck with second thoughts. "Wait! I changed my mind... I want to change my question! How do I help you? I want to stay with you!" But Link shook his head, and though he still said nothing, I knew it was no good. When he answered, it would be my first question he responded to, not the second.  
  
"The way from this prison is not easy. You must find the strength to overcome your obstacles. You must find the power to protect yourself and others. Trust yourself. You are able to do what needs to be done." He stopped, and turned away. "I need you, Colt. Be safe, all right?" It was almost identical to the answer Riley had given me, and it helped me about as much, which is to say not at all. I could almost hear the mayor's voice in my ear. "That's the way of the Path of Power. One gains Power through overcoming the challenges of one's Present." All in all, it was useless babble.  
  
The world shifted, and I was back in the real world. Odd, though, that I now thought of this as the real world, when not three days before I was trying to convince myself I was dreaming... Strange, how perceptions change over time. The girl, who's name I had never gotten, lay broken on the steps in front of the pedestal that the conduit had once graced. Or... Still graced. When I looked, I realized that it hadn't been taken after all. It had just... stopped floating. As though whatever power had kept it aloft had been rescinded.  
  
I picked my way through the rubble, conscious of the fact that I was no longer stark naked. Whatever power kept me in this world also kept me clothed, apparently. I was naked when I died, but clothed when I got here. Naked in the world of the Oracle, clothed upon returning to this world. And then it clicked. The world of the Oracle must be at least marginally connected with MY world! What if there were Oracles in California, too? That could be access from certain locations... I cast a longing glance back at the conduit. Tentatively, I reached out and placed my hand on its cold surface. But it wasn't the cold that had marked the Oracle of Wisdom. It was just... cold. Dead. Powerless. Empty.  
  
Cursing, I left the fortress, no longer bothering with stealth, since anyone who might have objected to my presence was lying dead in the Sanctum of Power. A sobering thought that such a powerful race could be wiped out by a bunch of Stalfos. After all, Link had overcome obstacles far greater than that, and still lived to tell the tale. Not that he talked much, of course. Maybe they weren't as strong as they thought? Something was definitely amiss here.  
  
"So... Where to now?" Normally, I would consider talking to myself a sign of impending insanity, but with all the shit that had happened in the last few days, it was just one more drop of water in the case of my own insanity, so I let it slide. But the answer was obvious. The three races of men in Hyrule held the conduits. The other three major races held the Oracles themselves. Zoras had the Oracle of Wisdom, the Gorons probably had Power, which left the Kokiri with Courage. Since the Sorcerer had no doubt obtained the conduit when he raided the castle, that meant I was off to the Lost Woods. Oh, joy. 


	15. Shadows in the Mist

Author's Note: Yes, I know I haven't written in such a long time. Shit happens. Deal with it. And yes... Shit is gonna start getting weird now. Don't worry... I know what I'm doing.  
  
Chapter 15: Shadows in the Mist  
  
"Wake up, Colt."  
  
"Wake up."  
  
I grunted, and rolled over. "One more minute, Mom..." I pulled the blanket over my head, trying to drown out the blinding light streaming in through my bedroom window. Wait. Something was not...right. "Mom?"  
  
"Get up, Colt. It's almost time for school." School? No. That was wrong. I graduated. Didn't I? Why did it feel like my head was stuffed with cotton balls? "Come on... Lance is waiting for you."  
  
"Lance?" I pulled the covers down and winced against the sun. A thought lurked just out of view, in the darkness of my sub-conscious, glaring at me. Taunting me. Just out of reach. "Wait... No! Lance is..." Is what? Lance is my brother. "School?" Why was I having such a hard time with this?  
  
"Get up, you slug! You're going to be late. Dan HATES being late." With a last glance at the clock on the wall, she darted out the door. Listening to her retreating footsteps, I slipped out of bed, and padded over to the mirror. It was my face, I knew that much. Not my face? The thought was strange, foreign. Why wouldn't it be my face? And why did I find it strange, waking up in my bed? I'd done the same for fifteen years, all my life. Why, today, did it feel as though I'd stepped into someone else's skin?  
  
I dressed in record time, and bounded down the steps to the kitchen. The Tyrant was already awake, washing a bowl of Cheerios down with a bottle of gin. Truly an amazing combination. "You're late, boy." He drawled. He never used my name. I often wondered whether he knew which twin I was at all. "I oughta knock you 'cross the room. I will, too, if'n you make me late for work." I snorted in disgust, then froze. What the hell was wrong with me? Shit like that would get me a broken arm, if I was lucky. Some god must have been smiling on me at that moment, though, since Dan didn't catch my slip. He just barreled ever onward, a steamroller on the highway of life. Pity the cars caught in his path... "Eat somethin', or don't. I don't much care, either way. You and your brother be in my car in ten, or I ain't responsible for what happens." Translation: I could spend the rest of the month in traction. No thanks.  
  
"Colt! Hey, did you see..." Lance came up behind me and trailed off, risking a swift glance in the Tyrant's direction. For some strange reason, my heart swelled up with hurt when I saw him, and I almost started to cry. Which was as good as painting a target on my back. Instead, I grinned at him, and we both dashed outside, running not because we were in a hurry, but because we were just filled with the child-like joy of life.   
  
As soon as we were out of ear-shot, Lance turned to me and smirked triumphantly. "Look what I found!" He grabbed my wrist, and pressed a small key into my palm. It didn't take me more than a moment to realize what it was. The key to the Tyrant's supply closet. Where we were not allowed, under any circumstance.   
  
"Lance... Where did you get this?" I hissed, dropping the key in my terror. And the constant sense of deja vu didn't help either.  
  
"I found it. In his bedroom. Wanna see what's so secret?" His eyes had that gleam, the one I'd come to recognize as trouble. Usually for both of us. Alarm bells were going off in my head, and the secret that lurked in the back of my mind stretched, yawned, and settled back in the shadows. And always that damn deja vu...   
  
"No!" Lance gasped, and, I must admit, even I was surprised by the violence behind that single word. "I mean... We'll get into trouble. Please, no."  
  
"I'm tired, Colt. I'm tired of living in fear of him. I've had enough. Maybe... In the closet, we'll find something that will make him go away. Forever. Don't you want that? Don't you want to be free? Free to be who you want... What you want?" He pulled the ratty picture of Riley and me I kept stuffed in my back pocket at all times. It was dangerous, sure, but... It was my way of showing that I wasn't going to change because some dip-shit smacked me around every now and then. A little defiance I allowed myself. "Don't you want to be free to find Riley again?"  
  
No. No no no. A voice in my head, that strange foreign voice, screamed for me to stop him. Screamed for me to say no, and alter everything. But that made no sense. Besides... What harm could possibly come from checking it out? And if we DID find something... I looked at the picture again, longingly. Riley. He represented everything I wished I could have. True, he'd been shipped off to military school not long after we were discovered, but... He was freedom. And I wanted that, needed it, more than anything. More than any dumb supply closet. "Okay." Why did my voice sound like the slamming of a door? "When we get home from school, we'll check it out."  
  
And we went out to the car. But I couldn't help feeling as though I had just made a terrible mistake. 


	16. Ever Get the Feeling

Author's Note: No, I haven't lost my mind. I assure you I know exactly what I'm doing.  
  
Chapter 16: Ever Get the Feeling...   
  
  
"Shhhhhh!" Lance glared at me from down the hall. "Quiet! You wanna get caught?" We were just outside the Tyrant's room, eyes wide with the excitement and danger of what we were doing. I felt a good deal better after school. Whatever had been bugging me earlier had begun to fade after about second period. It wasn't gone completely, I could still feel it in the back of my mind, buzzing insistently, but I was able to ignore it.   
  
"What are we looking for, exactly?" Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.   
  
"We'll know when we find it. Now will you shut up?" He glanced around furtively, making sure the coast was clear. But we both knew it would be. Mom was off winning the bread, and the Tyrant... well, he was sleeping of his last of his drunken stupor, downstairs on the couch. Later, he'd crack open another bottle, but for now, it would take a parade to wake him. Seventy-six trombones and all.   
  
"Let's get this over with, then." I was proud of how steady I'd managed to keep my voice. I didn't feel brave, I didn't feel strong, I just wanted to get this over with, and go play outside. Away from stupid closets, and evil Tyrants, and ...   
  
~Sir Colt!~  
  
My insides froze. That voice was so tantalizingly familiar, but... No, telepathy was impossible. It was just the stress of what we were doing.   
  
"Colt?" Lance was looking at me sideways, concern mixing with frustration at the delay. "If you're done standing there...?" He handed me the key, and moved out of the way.  
  
"Wait.. What? Why do I have to open it?" I wasn't liking the way this was going at ALL.   
  
"Because I have to stand guard. You're not chicken, are you?" I shook my head before he could begin clucking. It was a common argument between us. Like most brothers, I suppose. Either way, it worked, as it always did. Anything to keep my brother from thinking any less of me. Sure, we loved each other, and were inseparable, but... Sometimes I wanted to smack him. Instead, I brushed past him, and unlocked the door.  
  
I wasn't sure what I was expecting, but it wasn't what I saw. The door swung open to reveal... Nothing. The closet was empty. No, I was wrong. Tucked in the darkest corner of the top-most shelf was... something. "Lance..." I hissed, trying not to let my voice carry. "Gimme a boost!"   
  
Soon enough, standing on Lance's shoulders, I discovered what it was. Dan's electric guitar. Once, he'd dreamed of being a rock-star. Now, though, he took it down and stared at it, nights when he thought we all were asleep. I'd never heard him play, but the way Mom talked, he'd been pretty good, once upon a time. But he was just another has-been now. "What is it?" Lance's voice floated up from below me.  
  
"It's the guitar!" I didn't need to explain, of course. Lance had seen it as often as I had.   
  
"Bring it down, let's see it!" Lance's voice had taken on an eager edge that I didn't like, but I, still stinging from being called a chicken, began to pull the guitar case from the corner. And that was when the worst happened. My nose, itching from all the dust, decided to call it quits, and I sneezed. Not just any sneeze, though. A sneeze like a shot-gun blast. Eyes watering, I lost my balance, and tumbled backwards. The world seemed to slow down and, forgetting myself, I let out a scream loud enough to wake the dead. Of course, if all I was worried about was zombies... The guitar case flew across the room and slammed into the wall. A dissonant twang marked the end of the guitar. And a roar of rage marked the end of us.  
  
"What in Sam Hill is goin' on up there?" Dan's voice floated up from downstairs. Lance and I exchanged panicked glances, and turned towards the guitar as one. It was beyond our ability to repair, of course. Wasn't that just the way of it?  
  
"Holy shit, Colt... what are we..." But he was cut off by another angry bellow.   
  
"What did you li'l shits do to my guitar?" He rounded on me. "I'm g'na tan your hide, boy!" His hand groped for his belt, but froze when his gaze fell on something else. Lance's baseball bat, left where we'd discarded our things before playing Mission: Idiotic. Something feral gleamed in his eyes, and I knew at once that I was screwed. And not in the good happy sense, either.   
  
All three of us leapt for the bat at the same time, but Dan had the advantage of size, and we were still shaken up from the fall, so he beat us to it. Grinning triumphantly, he turned back to me. "Learn you to disrespect your betters."  
  
"Betters? You stupid ass. You're not worth half of him!" Lance stood, shaking with rage and hatred. And then I remembered. Oh gods... _Eighteen. I'm eighteen. And Lance is ... Oh, FUCK!_   
  
"Lance, no! He'll kill you!" Even as I spoke, Dan raised the bat, and took a swing. "NO!" _A sword! If only I had my sword..._ But I had to make do. "Don't touch him!" I tried to grab his arm, but in my teenage state, I was less than half his size. He backhanded me nonchalantly, without even looking. My head struck the night stand, and my ears started to ring. Ring? No... That was... A dial tone! I grabbed the phone, and dialed 9-1-1...  
  
"Nice try, Colt." The voice on the other line was cold, but familiar. The Sorcerer. Shit! "I couldn't have you interfering with my plans, after all. Enjoy your stay in the past. Although... I hope you don't mind, but I rewrote the ending a little." With a cackle that sounded as though it had been the first assignment in Villain Cliches 101, the line went dead. I wanted to weep. So this was how my story ended, then? Trapped in a scene I'd barely survived the first time? No. I wouldn't let it end this way.  
  
"You're not real." I whispered, between gritted teeth. Dan turned and started towards me; Lance was little more than a stain on the rug. _That's not how it happened,_ I thought, surprised. _Lance died in the hospital the next day!_   
  
"Your turn, Colt." Dan grinned at me, showing fangs that would have made even the greediest dentist faint.  
  
"You're not real! None of this is real! You called me Colt! Dan NEVER called me Colt!" As soon as I said it, I could feel the threads of reality stretch. "Lance died in the hospital!" More stretching... The pressure was tangible. "And I am NO LONGER AFRAID OF YOU!" The world tore, and I spiraled into the darkness once more.  
  



	17. The Forest for the Trees

Author's note: Yup... I'm just pounding these things out, aren't I? I just started formatting this with HTML, instead of just WYSIWYG, so if you catch any problems, lemme know, so I can fix 'em, okay? Sorry, this is a long one. :-   
  
Chapter 17: The Forest for the Trees   
  
Ah... The story of my life. I surfaced from the void to the sound of voices. Discussing me, of course. It was starting to get old.  
  
"What are we going to do? We can not keep him. He is an adult, and you well know that we are forbidden to associate with the likes of him."   
  
"The Great Deku Tree said..."   
  
"I know what the Great Deku Tree said, Saria. All the same, I do not think we can trust this... man."  
  
I was starting to feel a sense of deja vu. After all, wasn't this how I entered this travesty of reality in the first place? I was getting tired of being talked over, either way. "Where am I?" I managed, still trying to figure out why my head felt as though it would float away if given half the chance.  
  
"He is awake! Oh, we are in for it now, Saria."  
  
"You are in the Kokiri forest. I am Saria, and this is Mido."   
  
"Saria? The Sage of the Forest?" I thought instantly of the fairy ocarina burning a hole in my backpack. If she knew Link had given it away... But it didn't seem to be something I needed to worry about, because, judging by the face she gave me, she wasn't really willing to discuss such things in Mido's presence. Not that I blamed her. If I remembered correctly, Mido was something of an ass. And, based on his reaction, he didn't remember ANY of the events of the previous ten years or so.  
  
"Saria? What is he talking about?" But Saria just shook her head, and shot me a look that clearly told me to shut my trap, if I knew what was good for me. Fine. But I filed it away for future reference. Maybe SHE would have a clue what was going on around here.  
  
"Never mind, Mido. Now, why don't you go get our guest something to eat?" She smiled at me compassionately, and I found myself having trouble believing that this... child... was really hundreds of years old. She seemed so innocent. Yet, at the same time, there was definitely something mature in here eyes. Very non-childlike. Too intelligent.   
  
At first, I thought Mido would argue. He definitely seemed leery of leaving her alone with me, anyway. But, after a moment, he turned and stormed out without a word.  
  
"Now... What to do with you?" She watched me intently, her strangely adult eyes holding mine. Too my shame, I looked away first. It was seriously unnerving.  
  
"Hey! Listen!" A small, piping voice chimed in. It took me a second to realize that there was a fairy sitting on my bag. "Look what I found! The fairy ocarina!" The small ball of light danced back and forth, obviously proud of itself.  
  
My cheeks burned, and I grabbed my bag and clutched it possessively. "He gave it to me. I didn't ask for it. It was his choice, not mine."   
  
But Saria had other things on his mind. "You've seen Link? How is he? Has he gotten himself into trouble again? Is that why he sent you? Why the Other attacked your mind? Did he give you a message for me? TELL ME!" But her stream petered out when she saw my face. "Oh. You're one of THOSE, aren't you?" She patted my hand consolingly. "I know how you feel. I once thought he loved me, too. But such things are not for the Hero of Time. He must remain aloof, separate, if he is to keep the world safe from the likes of the Other." She nodded to the bag, still pressed against my chest. "Keep the ocarina. I'm glad he found a use for it. He doesn't need it, after all. He has the Ocarina of Time."  
  
"Thank you..." I wasn't going to cry. I was NOT going to cry... I silently cursed myself as the tears began to trickle down my cheek. Saria was obviously nonplused, but she reached over and touched my shoulder, trying to console me. Except, as soon as her skin touched mine, she gasped, and leapt to her feet.  
  
"So THAT'S why the Other wants you so much!" Her expression was almost impossible to read, but I could have sworn there was fear mixed in there, somewhere. "We cannot wait for Mido to return. You must see the Deku Tree immediately!" And she was pulling me by the arm with a strength that belied her small stature, pulling me towards the small clearing in the back of the forest where the Kokiri children made there home.  
  
"Great Deku Tree! I have brought the boy, as you have commanded!" She shouted, as we rounded the final corner. Even knowing everything I knew, I wasn't prepared for what I saw. Though the Tree hadn't grown much in the three or four -How long HAD it been, anyway?- years since Ocarina of Time 'took place,' he was still three or four times my height. I had to crane my neck to look into his... its? eyes.  
  
"Ah, at last, I meet thee face to face, Sir Colt of the Clan Scorpia." I winced at the title, but it was my own damn fault, I guess. Take it like a man. "We have much to discuss, and increasingly less time. Thou art well, I hope. I fear what news I possess doth not be good. As thou no doubt knowest, the Other hath begun to wreak havoc upon our land of Hyrule. Should the Hero of Time fail, all will be for naught."  
  
"What does this have to do with ME?" I protested. I was REALLY getting tired of having choices explained as though I'd already made a decision. Saria nudged me with an elbow, and I grunted, but the Deku Tree continued on as if he hadn't noticed what she'd done.  
  
"If thou wilt give me but a moment, Sir Colt, I shall make all things evident. The Other seeketh the Oracles. For what reason, I know not, but I can tell thee that should he find them, the Land of Hyrule shall be forfeit. Already thou hast thwarted him in finding the first two, but alas, as thou knowest, he did find the conduit to the Oracle of Courage, thus thwarting you in turn."  
  
Wait wait wait... What? What had I done so far to 'thwart' anyone? All I'd done was manage to get the Princess kidnaped, and try my damnedest to get out of this psychotic fairytale. "I object!" Saria's elbow flew again, but I moved out of the way. I was pissed, and no ten year old brat was going to get in my way. "Look, I've done nothing but cause trouble! I've been beaten, abused, scorched, and attacked and had my heart stepped on, and now I want to go home. I'm tired of people talking as though I've done some great service to the world. I'm not Hylian. I'm Californian.   
  
"Furthermore, I don't know about any 'Other' anything... I don't want to save the world, I just want to get the hell out of here! So, if you'll kindly show me to the last Oracle, I'll just be on my way." I paused in my tirade, when I realized that both Saria and the Tree were looking at me with eyes wide.  
  
Saria was the first to recover. "You mean... All this time? All the things you've done... And you DON'T EVEN KNOW? How long has the scorpion on your arm been blue, 'Sir' Colt? How about the scar on your palm? The one that's shaped like the Triforce? Where did THAT come from?" I gaped, as I realized she was right. Somehow, along the line, the triangle of the Golden Power had been burned into my palm. "The music... All the Sages heard it, you know. It was the only reason the Princess was able to hold on as long as she did. Because of YOU. As for whether or not you are a Hylian... Hylian is just a name. A word. It's a race that's been long dead, and is more an IDEAL than a concept. You proved yourself a Hylian when you defeated the Dragon in Pyria Town? We knew about that, you know. We've known everything you've done since you got here."   
  
"What? How?" But even as I said it, I knew. How could I have been so stupid? The ocarina; they watched me through the ocarina. "So, everything? The room at the inn, the duet, the way I feel about Link? A FUCKING FABRICATION? Why? To watch me? To keep an eye on the wild card? How dare you! I want NO part in any of this, anymore! This has nothing to do with me..." Tears were streaming down my face, and I collapsed to my knees. "I don't want any part of your games. I don't want any place in your wars. The Other... has nothing to do with me. Please..." I was begging now. "Let me go home. I miss my mother. I miss Amy... I miss everyone."   
  
"You IDIOT! Do you not understand? This has EVERYTHING to do with you! The Other is..."   
  
"SARIA!" The Deku Tree raged, shaking leaves down from its branches. "The boy wishes to go home. Very well, Sir Colt." The title embarrassed me, made me regret my outburst, but the Deku Tree was not mocking me. He looked down at me with something that bordered on regret. "I wish I could change thy mind, Sir Colt. But, alas, we did deal thee an unfair hand. I will show thee to the Oracle of Courage. Be forewarned, however, that the answer the Oracle giveth thee may not be the answer thou seekest. If it doth not show thee the way home, I do hope thou wilt take what I have told thee into consideration. These are dangerous times."   
  
I nodded, and got to my feet. "If the Oracle doesn't give me the answer I need, I WILL find another way. But, I promise this. If, in my quest to find a way home, I can assist you with the 'Other', I will do everything in my power. This, I swear to you." I said it, and I didn't quite like how it felt as though I'd just sealed my own fate. But the Deku Tree looked satisfied, as did Saria.   
  
"Very well, I will show thee to the Oracle." There was a rustling of branches, and a path I'd not seen before opened up before me. I started towards it, and saw Saria move as if to follow, but the Tree spoke up again. "Not thee, Saria. We have much to discuss. He shall be fine." She stopped, and watched me go. I was sad, now, that I had snapped at them. She wasn't such a bad person... She didn't deserve to have me go all Darth Rosenburg on her.   
  
The path itself was dark, bordered by thick, thorny bramble on all sides. Several times, I brushed up against the sides of the corridor of foliage, and, though it was full of spines, found myself unharmed. Almost as if the vines moved to prevent me from snagging myself. I could almost pity anyone who tried to get in uninvited.  
  
Eventually the path opened into a vast room, decorated with the same bramble that adorned the 'hallway'. And there, floating on a pedestal that would have been undistinguishable from the others I'd seen, was the Oracle. Nothing more than a green triangle with an inner section missing, it was identical to the conduits I'd seen. But this wasn't a conduit. It was the real thing. It made me wonder why they bothered with the conduits at all.  
  
As luck would have it, I soon had my answer. I placed my hand on the smooth green surface, and screamed. Pain lanced up my arm, lodging itself into my brain, and the world shimmered. I vomited, once, twice, on hands and knees. And as quickly as it had come, it was gone. I stood, noticing with mixed feelings that I was once again in my birthday suit. I tried to remember if I'd been naked in the Oracle of Wisdom, and couldn't. The shock of seeing Riley again had driven all thought of that out of my mind.  
  
Speaking of Riley, I turned, expecting to see someone standing there, waiting to answer my question. But there was no one. "Hello?"   
  
And then, there he was. Definitely not who I expected. Bryant, the poor sap I'd come apart on back in California -had it really only been last week?- stood there, watching me intently. Noticing that I'd seen him, he stepped forward and spoke the now-familiar phrase. "I cannot stay long. I am here to answer your question. No more, no less. Ask."  
  
I had a sinking feeling my answer would be just as unclear as the previous two, but what choice did I have? "How do I get home?"  
  
A beat. And then "The way from this prison is not easy. Do not be afraid of what is to come. You must find the courage to face the unknown. You can face what needs to be done." And that was all. He turned from me, but before he vanished, he offered me one final phrase. "I want you, Colt. Be careful, please?" And he was gone.  
  
I shook my head, bemused, and in a soft voice, spoke the words I found in my head aloud. "That's the way of the Path of Courage. One gains Courage through facing the uncertainties of one's Future." As I said it, the world twisted again. Fire coursed through my veins, ice raced down my spine, and a strange wind buffeted me from all sides.   
  
And I was back. Standing before the Oracle... but no. The Oracle was gone. Not just defunct. Gone. What had happened? And WHY was I still in Hyrule? I sighed, and steeled myself. I was going to have to talk to the Deku Tree. Heart in my stomach, I walked down the path towards the clearing where I knew Saria and the Tree were waiting for me.   
  
A/N: I love it when things work out perfectly. beams Past, Present, and Future... Wisdom, Power, and Courage. It just makes SENSE. Even in the context of the game. Link, wielder of the Triforce of Courage holds the Future of Hyrule in his hands. Ganandorf, wielder of the Triforce of Power, wishes to rework the Present of Hyrule in his own image. And Zelda, wielder of the Triforce of Wisdom, represents the Past of Hyrule. It just seems to make so much sense! Okay, enough patting myself on the back. REVIEW ME! 


	18. Oracles Abound

A/N: Yes, I'm a bad bad author. I haven't written in a loooong time. So sue me. Life happens...  
  
Chapter 18: Oracles Abound

As I'd suspected, the two forest denizens were waiting for me when I finally managed to stumble my way back down the path. My body still quivered with the memory of the pain that had, not moments before, been my entire existence. To make matters worse, despite the insistent pounding of my head, a thousand questions swirled in my head. Where did Bryant come into all of this? And my promise... A vow that even now gripped me in its iron jaws

"Didst thou find what thou dost desire? Wilt thou depart?" The booming voice of the Tree broke the quasi-trance I'd been operating in. By his tone, and the look on Saria's face, he already knew the answer. Squelching the sudden flare of anger that threatened to overwhelm me, I shook my head.

"You know I didn't. I didn't learn anything I didn't already know. Except... The Oracle... It wasn't on the pedestal when I left... What happened?" I could barely keep my voice level. What I really wanted to do was throw myself on the leave-littered ground and cry, to curl up in a ball and huddle there until the world passed me by. My only hope of escaping this... faerie tale... had rested in the Oracles. And if they ALL had performed the same disappearing act... I was stuck, until I found another means... _Probably get a hint from an old NPC in a cloak_ I thought ruefully, even through my pain. That thought surprised me. It'd been a long time since I had compared this obviously real (And PAINFUL) world to the video game I'd come to know and love. I'd accepted the reality of an impossible universe, in which Trees spoke in bad archaic English, and were spelled with capital T's, and little girls actually had thousands of years under their belts. Strange, when you think of what the mind is capable of coping with.

"You really have no idea, do you?" Saria stared at me from the stump she'd obviously perched herself on while waiting for my inevitable return. "The Oracles are in YOU. You have been collecting them since you started. That's why your clan markings are blue... Why the burn on your palm is unnaturally red... and your battle wounds are green. How could you not have noticed?"

I froze. "I hadn't noticed, actually." I'd taken it for granted that the tattoo had always been blue... And my scars had indeed taken a distinctively greenish cast. "What's going on...?  
  
"I wish I could tell thee, Colt of the Scorpias, Oracle of Hyrule," I winced inwardly at the additional title, "but I know little of the workings of this strange creature known as the Other. Save that he desires that which thou dost possess more than anything, more than life itself. For I truly believe that the Oracles do hold the key to returning to thy world, if only thou couldst see. Be forewarned, however. If the One you call Sorcerer wishes to retrieve the Oracles, it must be from thy cold, dead grasp, for even if thou wouldst surrender them to him, the removal may kill thee. Alas, we have no way to know, for none such as thee has ever crossed our path before."

"Great. So not only have I pissed of the Big Bad, I've also stolen the one thing... three things? ... he was looking for." My mind suddenly dredged up something the Sorcerer had said to me, back when I'd betrayed the princess. 'Next time we meet, you will not be so lucky. And there will be a next time. You have something I want.' It was finally all becoming clear. I had the Oracles. I WAS the Oracle. "So what, do I have super powers, now? Do I get a cape and spandex? Come on, tell me I've got super human strength, or something..."  
  
Saria shook her head. "It is not that simple, Oracle. In all the history of Hyrule, the Oracles have never performed for anyone as they did for you. Never before has a querent vanished upon coming into contact with a conduit. According to the mayor of Kakariko, when you contacted the Oracle of Wisdom, you were extinguished as though you were a candle. He did not say anything when you returned, for fear of alarming you, but he contacted the Great Deku Tree as soon as you were on your way."  
  
"I remember... That was what saved me from the Sorcerer... When he attacked me, I stumbled into the conduit... And when I came out, he was gone." But that didn't make sense either... Why didn't he take the Oracle from me THEN, if he'd known what was happening? For that matter, why hadn't he taken the FIRST Oracle, if he'd known it was there already, back in Hyrule Castle? Unless... "SHIT! He's HERE... He KNEW I'd be looking for the third Oracle... Because he knew he wouldn't be able to get them all, unless _I_ ventured into the Forest. I never escaped from him, not in Hyrule Castle, Gerudo Fortress, or even from the nightmare of my past. He LET me go. He's been following me the whole time!"  
  
"Impossible... None can come into the Kokiri forest without my knowledge, young Colt. If he had come, I would know. Do not worry thy..." But his assurance was abruptly cut short by the sound of screams coming from the Kokiri village. It was only then that I noticed the smell of smoke.

A/N: More expository, I know... but I had a lot of loose ends to tie up. 


	19. Holding Out for a Hero

Chapter 19: Holding Out for a Hero  
  
The smell of charred wood and burning flesh invaded my senses even as I charged down the path towards the Kokiri village. Tears ran defiantly down my cheeks, not all from the stinging smoke that threatened to blot out the sun. A flash, and my sword was in my hand, ready to battle whatever Demons the Sorcerer had unleashed upon the unsuspecting Children of the Forest. How could I have been so blind? Why hadn't I realized? Of COURSE he'd been following me. Even not knowing about the Oracles, I knew he'd already promised to return to exact revenge. The Deku Tree had been cocky, still new in its power, and none of us had realized just how strong our Adversary really was.  
  
"Stop feeling sorry for yourself, Oracle, and DO something." Saria's voice came from behind me, spurring me into further action.   
  
When I came to the clearing the Kokiri called home, the rage welled up in me. Innocent Kokiri, gender indiscernible, lay scattered in smoldering heaps of charred fabric and scorched flesh. Several of the smaller buildings already lay in ashes, while flames leapt and danced destruction upon others.   
  
"Sorcerer!" I was conscious that I didn't actually know the Sorcerer's name, but it didn't matter, anyway. It fit into the damn heroic rhetoric I was spouting anyway. "Sorcerer! Show yourself!" I can only imagine what I must have looked like, then. My blonde hair matted and sweaty, already covered in soot, wearing dirty clothes I hadn't washed in days, waving a sword that could, for all intents and purposes, have been a large dagger. Another time, I would have laughed at the ludicrously of it, but now was not the time. Now, there were innocent lives to avenge. Innocent lives who would still be living peacefully, if it hadn't been for me. None of this would have happened, if I hadn't been so selfish.  
  
_No._ The thought rose unbidden, a dark shape rising from beneath the tides, and I knew, even as it surfaced, that it wasn't mine. _You had no way of knowing. You're doing the best you can. Link is on his way. He'll help you fight back the hordes. Hyrule is counting on you. I'm counting on you._ And, as quickly as it had come, the connection was severed, and I was alone.  
  
No. Not alone. While I was wallowing in my own self pity, a gang of Moblins and rabid Wolfos had spotted me, and were making their way, slobbering and howling, in my direction. "Fine. Bring it.!" I waded into the mass, blade flashing. Slash, whirl, a burst of dust. Again. Slash, whirl, a burst of dust. The stench of rotting flesh threatened to overpower me, but somehow I fought against the nausea, and continued to swing my steel like some over-grown weed-whacker. Slash, whirl, burst of dust. Again. Comforting, familiar, the pattern of death became all, and I forgot my self pity, my misgivings about my presence here. I was the Hero. I was the Reaper of Death that the Dark Hordes used to frighten their children. I was the ORACLE!  
  
Only, it soon became clear that I was not the only one fighting. Every now and then, out of the corner of my eye, I would catch a blur of green movement, dispatching Moblins and Octorocs at a rate I could never hope to match. At first, I was furious at this interloper, coming in to steal my glory, but the feeling quickly faded into a greatful silence. There was no way I could have taken on the entire mass by myself. I'm no great Hero. That's HIS job.  
  
And then it was over. Every enemy had been scattered on the wind, and all the Kokiri who weren't seriously injured had begun to tend to those who were. My purpose served, I stood on and watched, impotently wishing I were skilled in things more useful than death.  
  
"Y...y...you sh...shouldn't be h...here." I sighed, and turned to face the Hylian Hero.   
  
"I know. But then again, if I hadn't..." I trailed off. Not even he could have taken everything the Sorcerer had dished out this time. And next time? I shook my head.  
  
"Y...you're hu...hurt." He reached out, tentatively, his hands surprisingly gentle on my shoulder, laid bare by some Moblin's fangs. Even so, I winced. I hadn't noticed it, not until just now, when he'd pointed it out. Funny, that.  
  
"It's just a scratch." The conversation lulled for a moment. What did he expect me to say? I had disobeyed him, true, and gone off to the desert, instead of coming here in the first place, but if I hadn't gotten the Oracle of Power... We both might be dead. "Look... I'm sorry about the Princess, and about everything... But I made a promise to Saria, and the Deku Tree. I'm going to help you fight this... thing, whether you like it or not. I have... Power, now, I guess. I'm not really sure what it is, or how to use it, but I could feel it coursing through me during that last fight. You need me. Whether you want to admit it, or not." I didn't feel like mentioning how the power of the Oracles had threatened to sweep me away in a torrent of rage, how I'd almost lost myself in the delussion of me as the great 'Hero'. There was time enough for that later.   
  
I don't know what I expected from Link, exactly, how I thought he'd respond, but I didn't expect him to nod. "Y...y...you're r...ru..ri..right. You're h..h...here, lu...like it or nu...nuh...not." With a rare smile, he handed me a bottle of red liquid, and I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding.  
  
"Partners?" I held out my free hand, cradling the bottle of potion in the other.   
  
"Partners." And we shook on it. It wasn't until later that I noticed... He didn't stutter the word.  
  
"How sweet..." A voice from behind me, taunting and cruel, sent shivers up my spine. I spun, sword in hand. "Always looking for a fight, Colt? I would be happy to oblige you... But I don't have the time. Alas, alas. But you'll have all the time in the world." He raised his hand, and fired a bolt of blue energy at me, but my reflexes had obviously improved since the last time I'd run across his path, because I managed to dodge it. "Hmmm..." The floating figure pondered for a moment. "That's interesting. An unforseen complication. Ah, well. I can always go around it." He raised his hand again... But instead of firing at me, he let loose straight for Link.  
  
"NO!" I was on my feet, and with a flying tackle that would have made me a star on the football team, I shoved Link out of the way. But I wasn't fast enough. The front of the bolt caught my back just as I was flying past, and I slumped to the ground.  
  
As I faded, I began to hear music. _Is this what it's like to die?_ My body felt as though it had become thousands of tiny bubbles, and I was floating on a pillar of red light. Before the darkness took me, though, I could have sworn I heard a shriek of rage... 


End file.
